Winds of Promise
by Legion117
Summary: From the first moment he saw her, his life changed forever. The AoT story From view of my Original Characters. Features a romance between Josh Kassmeyer(OC) and Annie Leonhardt. Contains Violence/Language/Humor/Intimacy/Feels and Anime Spoilers. (Feedback is always appreciated on my stories.) Please Read on people, give my work a chance and I hope you find it interesting.
1. First Night in The Barracks

Everything about your life can change in a single moment. All it takes is one look, one word, and things are never the same again. These little moments in time, the day to day things that most of us barely notice, often have the greatest impact. That's usually where it all begins. This is the story of four childhood friends from Karanese. These are their highs, lows, triumphs and struggles. This is how they left their mark on the world and on each other. This is their legacy, and the legacy of the 104th Cadet Corps.

Two years after the fall of Wall Maria…

Year 847, Near the Cadet Training Camp, Interior of Wall Rose.

"Oh my God, this is so exciting I can't believe we're actually going. We're joining the cadets! We're going to be soldiers, and get to kill titans, and the 3D Gear is _glorious_. I can't wait to put that uniform on." Jansen Duerk, a fiery thirteen year old boy with thick, matted hair and wild eyes. He spoke excitedly, thinking aloud _again_. If he was talking to someone in particular, no one was actually listening. Three days of having him go on and on about it had lost its' sense of luster. Beside him walked the three other members of their little group: Albrecht Johannes, tall and thin with dark brown hair that swept back behind his head. Aline Holde, a slender, but excellently built girl with shoulder length chestnut brown hair and golden tinged eyes; and _Josh Kassmeyer_, a boy with short black hair and dark brown eyes that looked pensively at the world around him. Unlike Jansen, the three of them were more anxious than he was about the whole ordeal, especially considering the ramifications of what his words.

"Listen, Jans can you calm down for five minutes so we can have a little peace and quiet? You've hardly stopped talking since we left home." Albrecht said, annoyed.

"How can you not be excited Alb, we're going to be titan killing heroes like the ones in the Scout Regiment when we finish our training." Jansen was practically glowing with excitement.

Aline shot him a reproachful look "Are you crazy? You've heard about the scout expeditions, people die out there; people die a lot. Just think about the operation where they tried to retake Wall Maria. They sent what, two hundred thousand people on that mission? They say only two hundred of them survived. Most people aren't really fond of that survival rate. If you ask me, we're a lot better off joining the Garrison Regiment, higher chance of us living long enough to do something valuable with our training instead of being snack food.

Josh remained quiet, looking around absentmindedly as they approached the last leg of their journey. His thoughts were far from carefree however, plagued with dozens of what if scenarios that could transpire during training and in the time after. It was all conjecture though. Being from Karanese District he'd only ever heard of the titans in the horror stories from the Shiganshina survivors that had found their way to the interior in the weeks following the evacuation of Wall Maria. If any of what they said was true, he couldn't blame Aline for saying what she said. Everyone except Jansen had planned on joining the Garrison Regiment from the beginning, and there was still time to talk him out of the scouts before there would be any need to think about titan fighting. That was like a lifetime away now though. The Cadet Training Corps was going to be three years of intense training and study before they could call themselves true soldiers. Choosing which regiment to join wasn't even on the horizon yet. He supposed he'd cross that bridge when it came up. Taking things one day at a time, like his dad always told him.

He was broken from his thoughts when he bumped into Albrecht. The group had stopped. Josh peeked around them and saw that they had reached the crest of a rise and were gazing down into a valley. Tucked away at its' center, was the training camp. It was an austere looking place; not quite what they were expecting oddly enough. A few wooden cabins around a dusty looking pit in the ground. The quartet took stock of the surroundings; breathing in the view afforded them by the vantage point. The roads going down to the fenced in compound were pock marked with people, all here for the same reason they were.

"Wow, so this is it huh? Honestly, I was expecting this place to look a little less…depressing." Albrecht sighed heavily.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks Alb, we're stuck here for the next three years either way though; let's make the most of it." Josh clapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, and besides they have to make us tough so we'll be able to kill titans someday; can't do that if we're living it up like we're in the capitol." Jansen was grinning from ear to ear, clearly enraptured by the thought of military life.

Aline was watching the groups of travelers intently. "I hope we meet some _interesting people_. There will be cadets from every city here I bet. I've heard that there will even be people from inside Wall Sina in our class." Josh was sure her mind was squarely on boys when she said interesting people. She had been flirting with every guy who grabbed her attention as long as he'd known her, gathering a small flock of admirers wherever she went. Aline had always been a little too good with guys growing up. She'd always get favors, or flowers, or presents from the other boys in their neighborhood. All she had to do was smile or wink and they fell all over themselves. He was glad that she'd never turned her attentions towards the three of them.

"Well then let's get a move on, it's only about an hour to sundown and I don't want to miss dinner." Josh slapped Jansen on the shoulder. "Come on man I'll race you there. I bet there's no way in hell you can beat me to the gate." Josh hucked his bag over his shoulder and took off running, Jansen in close pursuit. Albrecht and Aline called after them to wait up, but the two were already gone and once they got going you couldn't stop either of them. Most of the time they wondered why they even bothered trying to; Josh and Jansen had been friends for as long as any of them could remember. The two of them were always looking for a distraction from the day to day grind of things.

By all regards, the four of them were an odd collection of people. Even though none of them ever said as much, that factor was probably what had kept them together for so long. At least that was what Albrecht thought most of the time.

Down the hill, Josh and Jansen were desperately trying to overtake one another. The two of them took every chance they had to turn even the most boring of activities into something exciting. They shot taunts at each other and laughed like madmen as they barreled past others on the road towards the front gate, which drew worried glances from more than a couple people. Neither of them really cared how crazy they seemed; they were used to being thought of as such. Doing this, Josh was able to put the events of the coming days and months from his mind and let his anxiety go. _"Like dad always said, just take it one day at a time."_ Josh smiled as the gate and their futures loomed up ahead of them. By the time that Albrecht and Aline had caught up with them, both he and Jansen had stopped, realizing that there hadn't been anyone to keep track of who won or lost. Both of their other friends looked winded, and a little ragged, but Josh and Jansen laughed. "So, could you guys see who won the race from way back there?" He shifted his eyes between Alb and Aline.

"Nobody, you're both jackasses and I'm leaving it at that." Aline panted.

The evening was slow to pass and mostly involved getting paperwork and billeting sorted. Recruits were still streaming in from all over the countryside and the commanders didn't wish to convene with the cadets in the mess hall until they were all present. So, there wasn't really a dinner time per se; each person basically just got a bread roll and half a boiled potato after they signed a few papers and received their uniform items. It wasn't surprising that Jansen had already changed into his the moment they set foot in their assigned bunk house.

"You're planning on wearing that to bed aren't you?" Josh shook his head, flopping down onto a bunk as Jansen made poses in front of a mirror.

"To be honest guys, I don't think I'll ever take it off. Something about being in this just feels right. Plus, the ladies always love a man in uniform." He saluted into the mirror and adopted a stoic expression to add to his delusion of grandeur. It hadn't taken him long to start becoming obsessed about the whole thing.

"Well, if you go about it that way, it won't be long before you start stinking up the place. In a few days, I can promise you that you will be sleeping outside. Another thing, since when were women ever impressed by the act you put on? You usually just end up embarrassing yourself." Albrecht said as he set his bag down and took stock of the quarters; Jansen probably hadn't even heard him. Looking around the barracks were about as military as you could expect, a wooden cabin with wooden bunk beds arrayed in four rows of six. No ornamentation of any kind and the mirror was the only decoration in the building. No surprises here to contradict the view from the ridge earlier.

"When do you think we'll get to meet the other cadets?" Aline said as she bobbed up and down on her bed. "There better be some good looking guys here, three years without any real attention is likely to kill me. I heard some of the other girls mention there being some hot guys from Trost District. Oh I hope I can have one, or two, or three." She sighed dreamily to herself as her mind went over innumerable scenarios straight out of ten cent romance novels.

Josh rolled his eyes and sat up. "Oh please, get your mind out of school girl mode. That's not why we're here; we don't have time to be caught up in all that young romance crap and we really don't have time for you to manipulate every guy you come across."

Aline shot him an irritated look and stuck out her tongue. "You're the one who pointed out that we need to make the most of this weren't you? You do it in **your** way, and I'll do it in **mine**. I don't know why you're acting so stiff all of a sudden, but get the stick out of your ass okay?"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean like that. Sorry I snapped alright? Just don't expect the commander to let you do whatever you want. They're probably going to crack down hard on that kind of stuff."

The four of them turned when they heard the door open. Around thirty boys and girls came through and began claiming bunks. Aline immediately made a beeline for the cutest boy she could find and got to work. Jansen straightened up and did his best to look like he was playing it cool, casting his eyes over at a brown haired girl who had walked in. He sauntered over to introduce himself, brushing back his hair and popping his collar. None of his friends said anything, but he was making himself look like a complete tool. Aline wasn't really acting much better herself honestly. Jansen leaned against the bed frame. "Hey there beautiful, I couldn't help but notice you walking in, if you're looking for a bunk mate…"

"Are you going to finish that?" The girl said with a tinge of apprehension.

"What?" Jansen cocked an eyebrow.

"That, are you going to finish that?" She was pointing past him to the half roll of bread that was still on his unfolded napkin. Her mouth was watering and she looked about ready to snap.

"Well um, I think that maybe I was going to but…" She didn't let him finish. She grabbed it and leapt up onto the top bunk next to him. She began fiendishly devouring the bread, grumbling in a predatory manner that was nothing short of disturbing. Jansen collapsed back onto his bunk, bewildered beyond all recognition as to what had just happened. Josh looked over at Albrecht and they both chuckled to themselves. It was always amusing the ways Jans got himself derailed when he tried to act all smooth around girls. Josh turned back to unpacking his bag as a short guy with a buzz cut started talking to Albrecht. His eyes rose again as Aline skipped over and jumped into her chosen bunk. She had that smug look on her face again.

"You already creeped out one of the guys over there did you?" Josh said sarcastically.

Aline made a face at him. "No I didn't, as a matter of fact I think he likes me just fine thank you. His name is Jean. If he's going to be the standard for guys around here, this is going to be the best time of my life." She looked back and blew him a kiss and Josh rolled his eyes in annoyance. "He wants to become an artist one day. He even said he'd draw me sometime if I wanted."

"All of that's only because he doesn't know how you are yet, give it a few days and he'll wise up. On top of that, he looks like he has a horse face. Besides, I told you, we don't have time for that here; we need to focus on our training and studies. We're here to be soldiers; this isn't a place to find _love_ or whatever the heck **you're** after."

"You're just jealous because all the guys want me and you couldn't get a girl if you tried." She said bitterly.

"Like hell I couldn't! I could get a girl if really wanted one. I just don't…want one right now." The last part came out a little more awkward and flustered than the rest of it. Aline laughed at him and turned her attention on her next target before jumping up to go after it. Josh scowled a little bit before busying himself once again with his unpacking. _"What does she know, I can get a girlfriend if I really wanted to, Aline's an idiot." _He heard footsteps approaching somewhat cautiously, someone was distracting him from his task once again. He felt agitated. They'd been on the road for the past three days; he just wanted to relax a bit. He listened a little harder. They didn't sound like Albs footsteps and Aline was still certainly busy making herself an idol for man worship. That only left one other person. Josh didn't bother to look up. "I'm not going to help you get with that girl so you can forget about asking. I'm not here to make up for your jackassery."

"Um, sorry to bother you but, is the top bunk taken?"

Josh looked up and into the face of a small blonde girl with big blue eyes. She looked a little upset and wrong footed by his comment. He cursed inwardly, hoping he hadn't hurt her feelings. That had easily been the dumbest thing he'd done all week. "Um no, no it's not; go right ahead and take it if you want. I'm really sorry for being rude; I thought you were someone else." He rubbed at the back of his neck, thoroughly embarrassed.

To his complete surprise the girl gave him a hug and smiled. "Thank you so much, I just didn't want to have to bunk over there. The hungry girl looks scary and the guy…well he seems like he's a bit of a pervert."

Josh looked over. "Pervert…oh you mean Jansen?"

"Is he a friend of yours?"

"We grew up with each other yeah. He's one of the three people I came here with. The girl over there flirting with that group of guys is Aline, and that tall skinny guy over there is Albrecht. We all came here together from Karanese District."

"I bet it was really nice getting to grow up in the city." The girl seemed to be daydreaming about it. "Speaking of nice, thanks again for letting me have the bed." The girl smiled again as she climbed up onto the bunk. She leaned over the side and looked down. "I'm Christa Lenz by the way, and you never told me your name?"

"Josh…I'm Josh Kassmeyer, nice to meet you." He reached up and shook her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Josh; I'm sure we're going to be great friends. This should be an interesting experience for us." She gave him another big smile and vanished from view.

"I'm sure we will be good friends too." he whispered, not entirely to himself. She seemed like a nice girl, overly friendly perhaps, but she was really adorable. Kind of like a little sister. If things went smoothly, that was one new friend already. After only a couple of hours, he'd count that as a good start.

Now in a much better mood and with a minimal amount of further distraction, Josh finished organizing his stuff and laid back to listen to the chatter of the others. From the sound of things the hungry girl had gone off in search of more food and Jansen had followed her out, perhaps seeking a way to win her attention. Oddly enough, even with all the other people talking, it seemed a lot quieter without him jabbering on for hours on end. Josh reached into his bag and pulled out the brand new journal his dad had given him the day he left home. He remembered that moment and it felt like a lot longer than three days ago. He could see the event go over again in his mind like he was watching a play.

_"__You'll be the first person in our family to serve in the military in a long time my son. We've been anticipating this, your mother and I both. Ever since the fall of Wall Maria I had a feeling the day would come when you felt the desire to serve, especially with all of your friends talking about it. I'd have liked to have you run the print shop with me for another year, but this is not my decision to make. I was going to wait until your birthday to give you this, but since I don't know if you'll be able to come home around then I thought I might as well give it to you now." Tomas Kassmeyer pulled a journal from his pocket, handing it to his son._

_Josh's eyes widened. "Dad, you didn't have to get me this. This is premium leather bound; it must have cost you an arm and a leg to buy something like this for me."_

_"__Oh nonsense, if my son wants to be a writer someday, he'll need a place to write down his ideas and stories while he's off defending the country."_

_He sighed and smiled anxiously. "Thanks dad. I'll write in it as often as I can, I promise." He looked down the hallway towards a slightly cracked door. "Mom still doesn't want to come out and say goodbye?"_

_"__Let her have her time. She's just worried about you. She doesn't want you to go and get yourself killed. Joining the military is a noble, but dangerous choice, especially these days. You'll be back in a few months on leave; until then, write letters for us and she'll be fine. While you're out there, just take life one day at a time and you'll get through it. Now get going son, Albrecht and Aline are here and you three still have to pick up Jansen."_

_"__I promise I'll make you and mom proud and I'll stay safe. I'll be back before you know it. I love you guys both so much." He gave his father a hug and grabbed his knapsack, walking out the door to meet his friends._

Three days and a ton of Jans' hyperactive ramblings later, here he was. The memory faded away, bringing him back to the here and now. He rolled over on his side, making a mental note to write home tomorrow as he put the notebook away.

Aline trotted back over to her bed and sat cross-legged as she surveyed her recent handiwork. "With so many boys interested in me, how can I possibly choose just one?" she laughed softly.

"You're a terrible human being you know that? You go around breaking hearts like it's a sport." Josh said to her offhandedly.

"It's not my fault I'm so charming. Besides I can pick and choose a little more carefully if I have options. I don't want to end up settling for the first guy to turn my way."

"That actually makes you sound even worse, just so you know. If nothing else, I hope you mature a hell of a lot during all this." Josh glanced up as he heard the door opening again. Two big men, both rather muscular looking, walked through it. He looked down as he put his bag under his bed. A lot of different kinds of people were here. When his gaze drifted back up, a girl had come in just behind them. She had blonde hair like Christa's, but it was done up in a bun, a few strands hanging down in her face. Her eyes were a lovely ice-blue and there was a fire in them despite how bored and uninterested she looked with everything. Though kind of short, she had this air of power flowing from her. When she walked, it was almost like she floated across the ground. She went across the room to grab a bunk at the far end; his eyes followed her the whole way. Never in his life had he laid eyes on a woman that looked more beautiful. When she passed by, as if sensing his gaze, she turned in his direction. Josh's heart skipped.

She put her hand on her hip. "Can I help you with something; is there a reason you're staring at me?" The girl said flatly.

Josh tried to say something, anything, but any words he could think of were caught in his throat. His eyes darted back and forth, trying not to look as nervous as felt. He turned away and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Weirdo." She sighed and started walking again. Josh's eyes still followed her and he fought for words to come out of his mouth. She got to the end of the room and lay down on a top bunk. He swore under his breath, annoyed that he wasn't even able to say hi to her and instead stared like an idiot. He grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it, grumbling to himself. He heard Aline laughing under her breath and looked over at her angrily before glancing towards the blonde girl's bunk again.

"My my, you look like you've been standing too close to a fire. I've never seen a face that red before ha-ha. Somebody's already got a crush do they? What about not having time for romance? Aren't they going to 'crack down on us' for that?" Aline smiled at the irony.

Josh turned over and laid face down in the pillow. "Aline, shut the hell up."


	2. Luck and Punches

The next morning felt like it came way too early. An officer had come in and started banging on a metal plate to wake everyone up. Most of the cadets stirred groggily and sat up, yawning or rubbing their eyes. One or two were already getting dressed. That guy with the buzz cut Albrecht had spoken to yesterday had rolled off his top bunk and fell to the floor, swearing several times upon impact. What did Alb say his name was? Connie? Yeah, that was it Connie Springer. Amazingly, he wasn't hurt and seemed angrier about being woken up than falling off of his bed. Josh stretched, stood, and peered up over the top bunk. Christa was already awake and her uniform was on. Her bed was even made.

"How in the hell are you already that close to being ready?" Josh managed to say between yawns.

"Oh, hey there sleepyhead. I had my stuff ready to go last night, plus I slept well, that always helps. This is a big day for all of us is it not? Besides, the longer we take to get going, the colder breakfast is going to get and the later we'll be out in the hot sun for orientation today." Christa said as she pulled on her boots.

"I wish I could think like that right after waking up. I would've been way more successful in my morning classes in grammar school." Josh pulled on his military issue trousers and tightened his belt.

"Well, you'll get used to the idea, the military has never been known for keeping 'regular hours'. Someday we'll be expected to do _a lot_ more than think when we wake up in the morning." Christa jumped down from her bunk, landing as gracefully as a gymnast. In spite of himself, Josh looked her up and down. She appeared almost entirely different in uniform than in normal clothes, though anyone would tell you that she was well suited to either.

She glanced over her shoulder as she brushed back her hair. She noticed that he was staring and she flushed slightly. "I wish you wouldn't look at me like that; I've dealt with too many guys staring already. I get that they think I'm cute, but they get this kind of hungry look in their eyes and it scares me."

"Sorry Christa, um I uh…wow, it looks like a nice day today. _You're making yourself look like an ass again, stop it._" He couldn't believe that he was freezing up like this. It was almost more awkward than the night before when the girl in the hoodie walked by. He stood up and put his arms through the sleeves of his fatigue jacket, the crossed swords of the training corps emblazoned across the back side. He looked over to say something, but he didn't see Christa. He was just about to call her when he looked down. He had to blink several times to make sure he was seeing things correctly. She must have been a full foot shorter than him and he was only 5'8.

Without thinking, he blurted out. "Wow, you're really tiny Christa!" He slapped his hand over his mouth._ "What is wrong with you, you don't just say that to people; especially someone you've basically just met!_ God I'm sorry, that was beyond rude of me. I don't know where my manners are right now."

"It's okay, I get that a lot. I'm usually the shortest girl wherever I go, so I'm used to it. Just pick your jaw up off the floor alright? You're making me feel self conscious." She rubbed her shoulder and looked down at the floor.

He couldn't believe this girl, she was so outgoing and sweet, but she was this easily embarrassed by the simple matter of her height? Honestly, it was kind of adorable. She was already one of the cutest girls he'd ever seen and when you added that little dash of shyness, most men were well on their way to melting. There was no doubt that every guy in the unit would be tripping over themselves looking at her by week's end. For some reason, the thought of that happening made him anxious. He found himself worrying that someone might try to take advantage of her kindness and small stature.

He shook it off; nobody in their right mind would even think to do something so evil to this…little angel of a person. Even if they did, there was a feeling growing inside of his heart that he'd kill whoever did it five times over.

"So, um thanks for not slapping me or anything Christa. I think any other girl would have if I'd been caught looking them over like that. They'd probably have thought that I was being a pervert or something." Josh managed sheepishly.

She was already smiling again like nothing had happened. "You're welcome, but I don't think you're that kind of guy at all. You look way too honest to behave that way, and you're too awkward to pull it off. Not that there's anything wrong with being awkward." She shook her hands. "Ahem, I said it last night, and I'll say it again. I think we're going to be really good friends." She looked pointedly but softly at him. "**Just** friends okay? I might need someone to fend off any crazy stalkers, and at least one normal guy friend would be really nice." He wasn't quite sure if she was serious about the first part. She turned on heel, starting towards the door. She indicated for him to follow. "Come on Kassy, I'm getting hungry."

He got up to follow her. He was somewhat shocked by the sudden return of her overly cheerful nature; like she had a switch for it or something. It didn't weird him out really, it was just kind of surprising to see someone change demeanor so fast. He was too engrossed in his thoughts to pay attention to where he was going, causing him to bump into someone. This seemed to be happening a lot more often lately. "Ah crap, excuse me I don't know where my mind is this mor…" The rest of it was lost as he saw who he'd run into. It was the girl he'd seen the night before. _"Come on you retard, say something. You don't have to say much just say hi or ask her name or something just quit staring like that it looks creepy when you just stare at people."_

"Oh, it's you again huh?" It was a tossup between whether she was irritated or bored. Her tone made it nearly impossible to tell what she was feeling. "What do you want? Are you going to say something? Annnddddd you're staring at me again. What is up with you and staring?" She eyed him suspiciously and he found it even harder to make words when she was so close. With her eyes piercing him like this, he'd lost all of his sensibilities as if he'd been struck dumb. There was a moment of interminable silence before she said something more. "You're weird." She walked off and he stood there in a daze, unable to do anything, not even think. By the time he was able to fathom what had just happened, she was long gone.

"Oh my lord, what is wrong with me? That's the second time." Josh smacked his forehead and groaned.

"I can think of plenty of things that are wrong with you. I could probably write a book about it to be completely honest. That stuff is seriously golden; I wish I'd known how awkward you were sooner." Aline said as she walked past him with Jansen in tow. "Hop to it loverboy, they aren't going to serve breakfast until we get there and I'd rather not piss anyone off on our first day."

Josh looked around and realized suddenly that everyone else had already gone, leaving the barracks room empty, save for the three of them. This was kind of surreal, like he'd skipped forward in time. How long ago had had Christa been here? How long had he been rooted in a stupor like that? He hurried out the door after his friends before pausing momentarily. An odd notion was just now registering in his brain. "Wait, did Christa call me Kassy?" He said the thought out loud.

"**That** girl has already given you a pet name? Would you mind telling me how you did that; I'd be golden if I had that kind of trick up my sleeve." Jansen felt a low rumble in the pit of his stomach. We'll save this conversation for later though. I'm stupid hungry right now so let's get a move on."

Despite not knowing he'd done anything in particular to earn a "cute nickname", he nodded to Jansen and ran to catch up. Hopefully a little food would help him sort things out a little bit easier. If he couldn't get his head on straight it was going to be a long week, never mind three years.

The trio arrived at the mess hall shortly thereafter. Aline laughed to herself every time she looked at Josh on the way. No doubt she found his awkwardness amusing. When they walked in the door, all eyes shifted to them. Aline being the ever so caring person she was decided to excuse their late arrival. "Sorry I'm late boys, Kassy and the simple one needed my help putting on their boots."

"What the hell did you just call me?" both of them said in unison.

"Oh lighten up, I've called Jans way worse before, and I think Kassy is a good nickname for you. It's kind of endearing. I could always think of something else though if you want?" The two of them shook their heads. Aline shrugged and went off to sit with the most attractive group of guys she could see. They both sighed and looked around for a place to sit. Christa waved Josh over to a table on the side of the room. He gave his friend a 'good luck' pat on the shoulder and went to join her. Jansen, finding himself now alone; hurriedly searched for a bench, sliding into a seat next to a black haired girl wearing a scarf. He wasted no time in trying to flirt with her.

"Hey there gorgeous, did it hurt when you fell out of heaven, because I've always wanted to kiss an angel." The way he said it, it almost sounded like he was expecting it to work this time around. Much to his shock however, the only response he got was a punch that sent him to the floor.

"Mikasa, you really need to stop punching people. That's the third time this week!" The boy next to her groaned in aggravation.

"Eren, I only did it for your protection; he was clearly acting threateningly. I took action accordingly. Did you not see the lecherous look in his eyes?" The girl responded in monotone.

"You didn't have to try knocking him out, regardless of how he looked, that was completely unnecessary! Honestly, I think you're taking 'this looking after me' thing way too far."

Josh looked on from across the room and privately wondered what they'd all gotten themselves into, and why everyone seemed like they were five different kinds of insane. People in Karanese weren't nearly this bad on their worst day. Hopefully they were only like this when they were hungry. He hoped so. Especially when he looked over and saw the 'bread girl' trying to claw her way through the kitchen door while she repeated the word hungry over and over again.

"So, what happened, where did you go? I got here, and when I turned around you were gone." Christa said looking across the table at him.

"You're going to think it's ridiculous, when I went to follow you out I bumped into someone. I was just so lost in thought I guess. I went to apologize, but when they looked at me I just couldn't talk all of a sudden and I just stood there like a statue for I don't know how long. It was the weirdest thing. When I came out of it, everyone was already gone."

"Was it that girl from last night that Aline made fun of you for staring at?"

"Oh, I um, well…You overheard that then I guess?" he covered his face, embarrassed.

"Kind of hard not to, my bunk is right above yours."

"Yeah, well, at least you didn't see it. I made myself look like a complete idiot in front of her. I've never been so embarrassed in my life, and then it happens again as I'm leaving the barracks." Josh rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, this is crazy; why couldn't I even manage to say hi or ask her name?"

Christa giggled. "It's because you have a crush on her."

Josh's face turned a bright shade of red. "I—I never said that. There was nothing I said that would even indicate I have an interest in her!" His voice was an agitated whisper.

"You didn't have to say anything; it's written all over your face. Besides, why do you look so embarrassed if I'm wrong? I've never seen a guy blush as bad as you are right now." She was trying to contain her amusement.

"Now **you're** the one making **me **feel self conscious." He was already feeling awful about bumping into that girl on his way out the door, and Christa's statement was only making it worse.

"Sorry, it's just so adorable; seeing love at first sight and all that." Sigh. "I wonder what that feels like."

"Whoa, wait just a second; **nobody** said anything about that; when did love come into this? For God's sake I don't even know who she is. Damn it Christa, you gotta stop putting words in my mouth, it's not helping." Josh buried his head in his hands, his composure dangling by a thread.

A bell rang by the kitchen door and the cook started bringing out food. Josh leapt up and ran to get in line, cutting her off just as she was about to respond. "Hold that thought for just a moment if you could."

It might have been a little rude, but the sooner he could distract himself from his thoughts the better. If he couldn't do that, he was probably going to lose his mind. Not that it would stop likely stop Christa's teasing if she felt inclined to continue. He grabbed his tray and slid along the counter collecting some bread, a potato, an apple, and a cup of water. Not exactly a balanced breakfast or anything, but food production had become much more limited since the wall fell, and everyone had to take what they could if they wanted to eat. Food was food though, had to be grateful for that at least. The military was one of the few places that provided three meals a day.

He hurried along back to his seat hoping the food would help ease his mind. Things weren't going very well this morning, so why should walked prove any easier? A protruding nail tripped him up about half way back, sending his meal flying and him face planting into the deck. He groaned and glanced around for his breakfast. Before the food even hit the floor however, the crazy hungry girl had already snatched the bread and potato and started gorging on them, retreating back to her own table with a frightening look in her eye. Apparently waiting in line to get her portion would've taken too long. He might have protested if she didn't look so…rabid. Josh privately wondered how someone so obsessed with eating could still possess a fit figure. How high did someone's metabolism have to be for that to work?

He rose to a crouch, picking up his apple and empty tin cup. All the water had spilled. His thoughts were depressed. _"Great, the psycho took most of my food and now I don't even have any water. A fine first day this is turning out to be."_ As he made to get up, a pair of boots stopped in front of him, droplets of water hitting the floor around them. Josh clenched his eyes shut in annoyance. He was guessing his water had found its' way to someone else. He was really hoping that his luck was a little kinder to him than it had been so far today._ "Please don't let it be her. For the love of God please don't let it be her." _He dared to open an eye and look up. It was definitely her. "_Someone kill me now, I don't know how many more times I can take screwing up like this."_ She glowered at him through her wet bangs and her hand was balled into a fist. She looked more pissed off than anyone he'd ever seen before.

"Heh, so…sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble that was my bad." She didn't meet his eyes, she just shook angrily. Though she was several inches shorter than he was, she looked easily able to destroy someone twice his size. He had to get out of here. "I think I best excuse myself before I cause anymore damage. My apologies for messing up your hair." Josh turned to leave before a hand came down hard on his shoulder. Yep, he was definitely going to get punched. He sighed heavily and turned halfway before a blow to his jaw sent him sprawling onto the floor. She brushed the hair out of her eyes as if nothing of import had happened. She then bent down and scooped up his apple before walking away.

_"__I wonder if this is how Jans feels right now?" _He thought to himself. As he tried to rise, the room felt like it was spinning. He could see Aline cracking up a few tables away. He steadied himself against a support beam while fighting the urge to punch **her** a couple of times. Josh slid back down to the ground, unable to keep his balance. When his eyes were open again, a handful of people had gathered around him, they looked concerned even though he couldn't make out their features in detail.

"Are you okay? It looked like she hit you pretty hard." A small blonde figure asked him.

"Christa is that you? You sound way different, what's wrong with your voice?" his vision slowly resolved the world in front of him, the person he saw was a blonde haired boy with a bowl haircut. He was accompanied by the two who he'd heard call each other Eren and Mikasa.

"Uh, my name is Armin actually. I think the one propping you up right now is Christa."

"By some stroke of misfortune, I guess that didn't kill me. I don't know what hurts more, my face or my dignity." Christa helped him stand straighter. "Other than that though, I think I'm okay; thanks for asking. Since my 'Friends' don't seem to be inclined to help."

"Don't look at me man, I'm waiting until all the dangerous women are gone!" Jansen was half cowering by Albrecht and Connie, both of whom were busy trying to look like they hadn't been paying attention.

"I'm impressed man, that was some hit you took, and you didn't even black out." The boy called Eren had a tone of approval in his voice.

Josh shook himself off before speaking again. He recoiled a little when he looked at the girl with the scarf. "_She's_ not going to punch me is she?"

"Not unless you give me a reason to." She said flatly.

"You don't get to hit anyone else today Mikasa, it's bad enough you did it once already. I won't be able to make any friends if you beat everyone up." Eren's tone was pleading.

"Come on, you better eat something. We'll be forming up in the yard in a few minutes. It wouldn't do you any good to pass out." Armin said.

"Here Josh you can have my apple. I've had plenty to eat already. You're going to need energy if we'll be standing out there all morning. I'll take a look at your jaw later to make sure nothing's damaged." Christa placed the piece of fruit in his hand. He took it gratefully, supplying her with a pained smile.

"Thanks, you're an angel in disguise, truly, and I doubt that's the last time I'll say as much." He turned to the other cadets "So, your names are Eren, Mikasa, and Armin huh? I guess I should introduce myself since you were kind enough to come over and check on me. I'm Josh Kassmeyer. The one you punched in the face is Jansen Duerk, the girl I came in with is Aline Holde, and mister neutral over there is Albrecht Johannes." The three of them raised their hands in a half hearted wave which was returned in kind. "I'm not the best with introductions it seems." Josh sighed.

"Yeah, don't worry; Mikasa doesn't seem to be the best at that today either." Armin laughed.

The door to the mess burst open and an officer entered the room. "Cadets, finish your food and report for formation you have three minutes!"

Out in sun baked yard, the more than two hundred cadets stood in rows as a shaved headed man took to the promontory at the front of the formation.

"Cadets, I am Commandant Keith Shadis and I will be your senior instructor. While you are here you will show me and this facility the proper respect is that understood?!"

"Yes Sir!" their voices all reverberated around the courtyard. The Commandant nodded as he took up station and began walking down the lines. He would select a few cadets in each row and berate them individually with a few general questions and insults before facing them about and moving on to the next row. Josh noted that a handful of the others Shadis addressed were also from Karanese, though he wasn't sure he recognized any of them. He also saw that a few of the recruits were bypassed entirely: Eren, Mikasa, the two big guys, and to his disappointment, the blonde haired girl with the fiery eyes. He had hoped this would be his chance to find out what her name was, but that was just his luck today. Josh cursed under his breath, wishing he had the courage to ask her himself. He found that kind of strange considering she'd floored him so recently.

He glanced down the line a few paces; Shadis had stopped in front of Jansen.

"What did they decide to call you when you crawled out of the womb scumbag?!"

"Sir, Cadet Jansen Duerk from the western portion of the Karanese District east side of Wall Rose!"

"The west side eh, why are you spreading your ugly face all over my camp you rich boy prick?!"

"I want to join the Scout Regiment and kill titans Commandant!"

"Well isn't that outstanding, the titans will eat well from this class it sounds like."

"I don't plan on getting eaten sir!"

"Recruit, I led the Scout Regiment for years, are you suggesting that _any_ of my fallen troopers _wanted_ to die?"

"I, uh, well no I just…" There wasn't time to finish the statement. Shadis kneed him in the crotch and Jansen doubled over, his eyes watering.

"You'll need bigger balls than that if you hope to last five minutes with the Survey Corps Cadet Duerk. Now get your ass up, no one told you to break rank!"

"Y—Y—Yessss…s-s—si—sir!"

Albrecht leaned in and whispered in Aline's ear. "Well, I'm glad he already passed us. I wasn't aware they were allowed to beat on us like that."

"Of course they are, how else do you think they planned on disciplining us?"

Shadis straightened up and spoke without facing them. "My ears must be playing tricks on me, because I wasn't aware I told anyone to stand at ease and talk."

"Holy crap, how can he hear us from way over there?"

The Commandant cast a death glare in their direction that immediately froze both Albrecht and Aline into silence before he continued down the line, interrogating Jean, some guy named Marco, and then Connie. He made the horrible mistake of rendering a salute improperly. He had Connie held off the ground by his head and was firing off another barrage of insults before a loud crunch attracted everyone's attention. Josh looked back; it was that weird girl who'd taken his food earlier. She was casually munching on another potato.

"You there, what do you think you're doing?" Shadis dropped Connie into the dirt.

The girl continued munching absentmindedly and Josh exchanged a worried glance with Christa.

"You are officially on my shitlist, just who in the hell are you?!"

The girl clutched the potato to her chest in salute and introduced herself. "My name is Sasha Braus of Dauper Village! Reporting for duty sir! If memory served Dauper was a hunting town in the lower hills. Josh was privately glad to have a name for her. He didn't think Hungry Girl would have worked for very long. Shadis inquired of the young woman where she had acquired the potato. She responded truthfully, and stupidly, by admitting she'd taken it from the mess hall, eating it to prevent the spud from growing cold. The commandant couldn't comprehend why she would eat it, what would possess her to do something so brash?

"So, are you asking me why people eat potatoes? I'm surprised you don't know sir." Every cadet in the yard froze when she said that. Was she out of her mind? She'd more or less just called the commandant's intelligence into question. There was an uncomfortable pause and Sasha looked uneasy when he didn't answer. She ruefully glanced down and broke a large chunk off of the potato. "Here sir, you can have half." It wasn't even close to half. She smiled dumbly as Shadis studied the piece of food for a moment.

"Cadet Braus, when this formation is done, you will run around the yard until the sun goes down! Your meal privileges for the next five days are hereby revoked!" Shadis tossed the piece of food into the dirt and stamped it into the ground before he continued down the line. She practically fainted, all of the color drained from her face. She even dropped the rest of the potato.

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed without incident. The only thing that even approached entertaining was seeing Sasha run back and forth across the parade ground.

When night time rolled around Christa snuck out to give her some bread and water while everyone else stood in a half circle around Eren as he talked about the titans he saw over dinner. Jean started running his mouth about Eren's and after a little while, it looked like they were going to get mixed up and go bare knuckle.

"Alb, should we do something about that?" Josh didn't really know Eren well, but Jean hung around with Aline and that was reason enough to dislike him and his pompous ass attitude.

"Why, it's not like it's our job to get in the middle of peoples' problems or anything. We've got our own things to worry about." Albrecht was a lot more interested in eating than getting involved. "Besides, jackassery will get you screwed over whether you're arrogant or an overconfident braggart. Something tells me that this will resolve itself before anything interesting happens."

Josh kept looking on in anticipation, but after a tense moment, the evening bell rang and everyone started dispersing either outside or towards their barracks. The two of them smacked palms and any incident was wholly averted. He sighed, relieved. There'd already been plenty enough craziness in the day without a fist fight breaking out. With a final few words he stood up and waved goodbye to Albrecht as he went outside into the cool night air.

As he descended the mess hall steps, he saw_ her_ again, walking off toward the bunkhouse. She was by herself. He'd be damned if he let one more opportunity pass him by without at least figuring out what her name was. He decided to tail her. As he went, he stayed a short distance behind her, still feeling the sting on his cheek from the punch she threw that morning. He wasn't eager for a second one, but he'd take it if it meant having a conversation with her. He opened his mouth to call out but was stopped when he heard screaming in the distance. He looked back; someone was screaming something about bread and goddesses. He really hoped that was the weirdest thing that he heard this week. Josh wondered further what was wrong with all the people here. He turned back to resume following the girl; when he did, she was gone again. _"Damn it I am not going to let this happen again. She's finally alone; it'll be easier to talk to her without everyone else around. At least I hope it will be. I'll be kicking myself for the next three years if I don't even say hi."_ Josh felt a renewed sense of purpose and starting sprinting. He skidded around the corner of the last building he'd seen her by and something knocked him off his feet. He impacted hard on the packed dirt and groaned; his luck seemed to be getting worse. When he sat up, she was crouching over him with those fiery eyes boring a hole through him. He recoiled, slightly startled by her speed and reflexes.

"Lady, what the heck; did you just clothesline me?! Is something the matter with you?!" He sounded more irritated than he'd intended to.

"Why were you following me?" She loomed over him menacingly.

Once more, he couldn't put together a full sentence; words just kind of dribbled out of his mouth. "I…well…I just…ummmm…"

"You're not pulling that again. I want an answer and I want one now. Why were you following me?" She grabbed him by his collar and looked him dead in the face

Josh felt more than a little cornered at the moment and clutching at straws like this probably made him seem even more suspicious. He looked up at her. Hair was shrouding her face and it made her look sort of like a demon. Her eyes were the only thing that stood out among the shadows. There was an almost murderous intent seeping out of them. On the verge of fearing for his life, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "You have very beautiful eyes!" he clapped his hand over his mouth in embarrassment and the girl's eyes widened.

"Wait, what did you just say? Did you just compliment my eyes?" she was unable to keep the surprise from her voice and she dropped him.

"Yes, your eyes are lovely; they shine like the moonlight on a calm lake!" His faced reddened and he held his mouth shut again. What the hell did he just say to her? Who says something like that when he's being threatened? She'd probably kill him; if he was lucky it'd be quick. He braced himself for a punch and recoiled, but to his surprise her eyes were darting back and forth anxiously. When the moonlight caught her face, he saw she was blushing.

When she spoke, it was in a nervous and half yell. "That's the first thing you say to me that makes sense?! Are you out of your freaking mind?!" She was trying to keep her voice from rising far enough to attract attention. "You've gone from being weird to being hopelessly insane!" Strangely, he felt emboldened by her statement and the need to try and explain himself.

"My name is Joshua Kassmeyer, I'm from Karanese and…and I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on in my entire life!" The second part of his statement even shocked him a little bit. That for sure was going to going to earn him at least a smack or two across the face. He waited for it, but she…didn't strike him.

The girl wasn't crouching over him anymore, in her surprise she had collapsed onto his stomach and was leaning back against his knees. She looked at a complete loss and was biting her lip; her gaze was away from him. His breathing was heavy and he swallowed hard, waiting for her to say something else.

"Annie…"

"Wait, what?" Josh said with effort.

"Annie…my name is Annie. Annie Leonhardt. When someone tells you their name…you typically should…return the favor."

Josh half smiled and fell back as a wave of tension was lifted off of him and he laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Her tone was nervously demanding and much more high pitched than usual.

"That was the whole reason for all of this! That's why I was staring at you last night, and why I followed you; I just wanted to know your name." His face was flushed and he was laughing like an idiot, but he didn't care. He had just fulfilled his mission and he was relieved.

She fidgeted a little and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Well…you could've started off with that you know."


	3. Josh and Annie

It would have been wrong to call it an awkward silence. In her opinion, awkward wasn't even close to how she felt at the moment. It was way beyond the awkward point; she was completely dumbstruck. Before now, she'd never worried about saying something dumb or being embarrassed around people. In three sentences this guy had ripped her personality a new one and now here she was too shy to even look at him. Maybe if she said something it wouldn't be as uncomfortable. _"Start with something you can't mess up. An apology? Yeah, you can't really screw that up can you?" _Even so, she wasn't taking anything for granted; this had already been a night of firsts.

"Sorry for clotheslining you earlier, looking back that was a little rude of me; especially considering I already hit you once today." Annie twirled some hair around her finger anxiously.

"Well, considering the aftermath, I'd say it was pretty damn worth it." Josh was beaming at her.

They were sitting up against the building where she'd hit him as he rounded the corner earlier. She sat with her knees pulled up near her chest and every time she made eye contact with him she blushed and looked the other way.

Josh smirked. "You're being awfully shy right now, what's up? Where's that rowdy straight to the point girl that punched me this morning without even saying a word."

"She ambushed some weirdo who then for some reason told her that she was the loveliest woman he'd ever seen. That girl from before kind of took off and left me here to fend for myself." She fidgeted again, not sure how to take what Josh had said to her. She was trying to process it all, the things he said gave her weird feelings she wasn't all that used to.

"Sorry to catch you off guard like that, I could barely control my mouth. To be honest I'm almost as surprised as you are about what just happened."

"Off guard would have been my legs knocked out from under me in a sparring match. Off guard would be getting my pocket picked. A little while ago when you started talking was more like getting whacked upside the head."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know! See, that's this issue. Ten minutes ago I could've made sense without worrying about the possibility of sounding stupid."

"Funny, ten minutes ago it was the other way around for me. If that's not ironic I don't know what is."

Annie hugged herself tightly and kicked a rock at her feet. "You're stupid."

"I'm going to take that as a complement for now."

"No, I don't mean like that. Well sure you've done a couple dumb things since yesterday, but I meant you're stupid for picking me. Why did you pick me?"

"I'm not really sure I understand what you mean by pick."

"Josh, come on. Why would you come after me of all people; especially considering what happened at breakfast? Most guys don't keep going after someone who assaults them and a lot of people are already scared of me anyway. I'm not the kind of girl guys just approach all the time. Not that it's always a great thing, but at least nobody tries to screw with me. So again, Why me? Why not go for that tiny little blonde girl you've been hanging around? She seems to like you."

"You mean Christa? We're just friends, she's cute and all around a wonderful person, but honestly, when you walked through the door it was like my heart stopped beating for a second. The way you just ghosted your way across the room like you were the only person in the world was mesmerizing. Then you looked my way and all bets were off. I couldn't speak I could barely think, I just knew I was gone; you had me. Funny thing, Christa was actually the first person to come out and say I had a crush on you. She was teasing me about it at breakfast this morning. That was before you punched me so I'm not sure if her opinion has changed or not. Even if it has, she doesn't seem to stay upset at anyone very long. Besides, I can't be scared of you, not after this. You're just too damn adorable for me to feel like that. I don't care how hard you hit me."

"You're making me feel embarrassed again Josh." She looked back at the ground.

"Sorry, I can't help it if my feelings make you all cute and awkward. I kind of like it though; this was the last reaction I was ever expecting from you. I was actually wondering when you were going to punch me to be honest."

"Speaking of which…I didn't hurt you too bad earlier did I? It seemed like you fell pretty hard."

"Nah, I've been worse. It's not like you broke my back or anything. I can barely feel it anymore." Josh lied. His back was killing him five ways to Sunday, but there was no point in her feeling guilty over it now.

A breeze was starting to pick up and as it blew by, they both shivered, neither of them having thought they'd be outside enough to need their cloaks. Annie was getting cold and it showed. She slowly scooted closer and closer to him. She wanted to be warmer, but she didn't want to get all girly about it. There was a word for what she needed at the moment. The act itself wasn't really unpleasant; it was just the name that bothered her. It was just such a sappy sounding word and despite how she was feeling, she didn't want to come out and say it.

"Hey, um do you mind if I ask you a favor." She was wriggling around again.

"Yeah anything you need, what's up?"

"It's getting cold out here and I was wondering if you'd mind…"

"Going back to the barracks?"

"No, not that. Just um, can you put your arms around me and share a little of your body heat?" She swore inwardly, hoping that that didn't sound as weird as she thought it did.

"Yeah, that's no problem. I like giving hugs anyway." Josh smiled at her.

"This isn't hugging; we're using a mutually beneficial manner of sharing warmth." She said it quickly to cover her embarrassment before pulling his arms around her shoulders. She sat there, determined to act as nonchalant about the gesture as possible, but much to her aggravation, after several minutes, the breeze was still chilling her to the bone.

If it didn't let up quick, she'd have to resort to more extreme measures if she wanted to stay warm. Unfortunately, the night seemed intent on pushing the limits of her normal comfort zone and the wind actually got worse. She groaned in annoyance; she really hated asking for this. It was that word that she tried to avoid mentioning earlier.

"Listen, um, this isn't working very well. To be honest, I'm still freezing. So, can we um, well you know?"

"Can we what?"

"I really don't like saying the word."

"Well I don't know what you're asking if you can't tell me."

"You know that thing where two people get like really close against each other and stuff?"

"Annie, I'm not quite sure that…oh, you mean cuddling?"

"Please don't say the C word, but yes that's what I mean."

"Of course we can, that's no problem at all."

Annie scooted a little bit closer. "Don't get any ideas in your head, this doesn't change anything. You're still really weird, and don't go thinking that this makes me your girlfriend or anything; I'm just doing this for the warmth."

"Yeah I know I kind of figured you'd say something like that."

She slid into his lap and curled up to maximize the transfer of heat. She was surprised by how comfortable it was and how warm he felt.

"You look so cute right now." Josh put his arms around her.

"You can shut up, that's what you can do." She tucked in close to his chest.

"Your mouth says shut up, but your eyes say keep talking."

"If you make this any more awkward for me than it already is, I swear to God that I'm going to punch you."

"Alright alright, just relax I'll be quiet."

She spoke softly. "You don't have to be quiet, but you have to lay off the compliments for a bit. I'm already too embarrassed as it is."

"I don't know if I can do that. You look so much like a little angel right now; it's freaking adorable."

"What did I _just_ say about making this more awkward?"

"Don't care, it would be worth every single bruise I get. So go ahead, bring it on." He grinned down at her.

"You're stupid." She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled his arms tight around her. "Still just doing this for the warmth! I'm not doing this because I'm enjoying it, only because I have to!"

"You don't seem to be very good at lying tonight Miss Leonhardt."

"Shut up." She pulled up her hood and flipped him off before settling in again.

This was quickly becoming the best night of Josh's life, or at least one of the most memorable. He couldn't think of a time when he'd been this happy before. Despite her attitude, insults, and tendency towards physical violence Josh couldn't help but like Annie. There was a layer of sweetness buried under the bitter exterior that he had been enjoying his glimpse of. They sat there for a while, just listening to the peace and quiet of the evening. After a while of savoring the silence he looked at her to ask another question but he stopped himself. She had fallen asleep. Josh smiled. _"She is seriously the cutest girl I've ever met. Once you get past the layer of iron she puts up, she's almost too adorable for her own good."_ This moment at once seemed perfect to him and he wanted to stay here until the sun came up.

"Josh, where are you? Josh, are you out here?" He heard a voice calling out to him from not too far away. He cursed under his breath having forgotten entirely about how late it was getting. The moon was high in the sky and they'd be in trouble if the Commandant caught them out of the barracks at this hour. He scooped up Annie in his arms, wincing a little as pain shot up his back. The fall earlier had done a number on him. That was probably going to present an issue during training, but right now he didn't care. He just wanted to get her back to the bunkhouse. She felt heavier than he anticipated. Maybe she was dead weighting because she was asleep. She was a bit shorter than him which made her weight more focused in this case. He grunted under his breath and slung her up into his arms gingerly, careful not to wake her up. Then he started walking towards the voice.

"Josh, come on we need to go to bed. ODM training starts tomorrow and we're going to fail the preliminary exam if we don't get some sleep." Christa was carrying a lantern, hoping she found him before Shadis did. That would be something akin to a death sentence. She hoped he hadn't gone and hurt himself or anything. She called out again as she rounded the corner of the next building. "Kassy, seriously are you out here I'm starting to worry." A silhouette was approaching her and she started before realizing it was Josh. "There you are. Where have you been, I've been looking all over for you?"

"Shhhhhhhhh." Josh tried to hush her.

"What, why? Do you think Shadis heard me?"

Josh motioned his eyes downward. Christa lowered the lantern and her eyes widened.

"Is that…?"

"Yeahhhhh, it is. I found out her name is Annie. Try not to talk so loud, I don't want to wake her up." Josh grinned sheepishly.

"She doesn't look as scary when she's asleep." Christa held the light by her face and Annie mumbled before tucking her face into Josh's shoulder.

"I actually don't feel like she's scary at all anymore, to be honest. Believe it or not, she's actually pretty shy." He whispered.

"So um, what happened with you two? How did we go from her punching you in the face to her sleeping in your arms?"

"I'll explain later, let's just get back to the bunkhouse and go to bed. Like you said before, we have ODM aptitude tests in the morning." They started walking. "Oh, and Christa?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anybody about this okay? I don't want to embarrass her or anything."

"My lips are sealed, cross my heart." She smiled and thought to herself. _"Those two look so cute together."_

They tiptoed into the billet and down to the last rack where Annie had slept the night before. Christa went and climbed up into her bed as Josh laid Annie on hers. Even though she was still sleeping she fussed a little when he pulled his arms away. She just kept getting more precious every moment he was around her. He knew it would take time, but he was going to be hers someday. Before heading back across the room, he brushed his fingers through her hair. "Goodnight Annie." He started walking away, stifling a yawn.

Annie rolled on her side and pulled her blanket up. "Goodnight Kassy." It sounded like she mumbled it in her sleep.

Josh paused and looked back at her. _"Why do girls keep calling me that?"_ He rolled his eyes and stumbled over to his bunk. He peeked up top and whispered. "Hey Christa, why did you call me Kassy today?" Unfortunately, she was already asleep. It didn't really bother him all that much the more he thought about it. Having an endearing nickname actually sounded kind of nice. Still, why out of the blue had she started calling him that? He sighed and tried to put it from his mind. He'd figure it out later, no use in messing up what had turned into a pretty nice evening by over thinking something that dumb; even if it was nagging at the back of his mind to a certain extent. He got down and slid his boots off, hung his jacket on the wall, and put his harness in his footlocker. When he climbed into bed, his thoughts drifted back to Annie and the last couple of hours. He barely even noticed the pain in his back. He felt content and his mind was at peace. That night, Josh Kassmeyer slept soundly for the first time in days.


	4. Sunset

The next morning started much the same as the last. The officer rang the metal plate like a gong to wake everyone up. Christa was already dressed by the time Josh put on his pants; and oddly enough, Connie even rolled off of his bunk again. Jansen was standing over by the mirror and smoothing out his uniform saying something about being born ready for the ODM harness. As josh was cinching up his straps, Aline came over and plopped down on her bed looking thoroughly disappointed.

"What did you do now Aline?" Josh pulled on his jacket.

"Jean is such an asshole; he doesn't want to talk to me anymore."

"I told you that it wouldn't take long for guys to come to their senses about you."

"No, Jean just found someone he thinks is a little bit hotter." Albrecht walked over sniggering.

"It's that bitch with the scarf. Jean's all like ooooohhhhhh she's oriental, she's so exotic, well I'm pretty too and I don't have freaky abs like she does." Aline scowled. "She won't even give Jean the time of day, she's so stuck up."

"Right, and you're a paragon of decency aren't you?" Josh couldn't help but look smug.

"Perhaps he likes a little more mystery to his women instead of having one that pops open her shirt for guys at every opportunity?" Jansen had passed by and quipped off an unusually well timed jibe.

"Alb, did he just call Aline a slut?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up, I think. Perhaps our _erstwhile companion_ didn't fancy being called simple yesterday."

"Jansen you rotten little bastard; come back here and say that to my face!" She chased him out the door and around the yard, all the while screaming profanities left and right.

During breakfast, Josh sat off in the corner by himself, glad to have some alone time to think a little. The events of the previous night were still running through his mind in earnest. With their first real encounter over and done with, he barely knew anything other than her name and that she was surprisingly shy when confronted with his attraction to her. He didn't know what she liked or didn't. He had no clue where she was from or when her birthday was. Even before he knew what her name was, he'd gone all starry eyed over her like a kid who finds themselves locked in a candy store for a night. He needed to try and work with those emotions if he wanted to get anywhere with Annie. He had hoped to talk to her before the morning meal, but she'd already left her bunk when he got there. He wondered where she was.

A loud crash caught his attention and he saw that Jansen was _still_ being chased by Aline. Even though he wasn't technically wrong with his comment earlier, it wasn't a particularly intelligent thing for him to say to any girl, especially Aline. Not to mention the fact that they'd already be worn out before training started and they hadn't bothered to eat anything in the meantime.

At one point during the pursuit Jansen almost got stabbed with a fork, which he only escaped by sliding under a crowded table. A high pitched squeal from a red haired get preceded his reappearance. That was probably a good indication that he'd groped her; that, accompanied by a broad smile, was plenty of evidence. Jansen had taken a little bit too long with that though. Aline was waiting for him as he jumped up, and so was the mess tin she proceeded to swing at his head, missing by mere centimeters. The creepy thing was that it barely seemed to faze him. The look in his eyes was more terrifying than Sasha when she was hungry. Startled by his perverted adrenaline rush, Aline unwittingly gave him an opportunity to escape her wrath. He was out the door and gone before anyone even blinked. Josh downed the last of his water before getting up to leave. With everybody so wired, the preliminary exam was going to be interesting to say the very least.

The lines toward the training harnesses were taking all morning. Cadets trying their best to stay level and upright while they were suspended off of the ground. Some of them were clearly having an easier time of it than others. There were a few of the cadets flailing about like beached fish, and others were just hanging there like it was the most natural thing they'd ever done. Sasha, **potato girl** of all people, was practically sitting there like she was on a porch swing. Mikasa was just hanging there, floating off the ground like some sort of implacable ghost. The commandant had mentioned there would be those with natural talent; but Josh was struggling to figure out if he'd have any of his own. He still would be waiting a while to find out.

Down the line Albrecht Johannes was proving himself to be rather skilled in the harness. He adjusted his position no less than five times and never lost balance for even a second. A cluster of the other trainees were gathered in front of him, completely slack-jawed. Even Shadis seemed impressed by the feat, going so far as to say Albrecht was unexpectedly gifted. Not to be outdone easily, Jansen was standing straight up and giving the salute. The patriotic notion was somewhat blemished by the black eye he was sporting. _Aline had eventually caught up to him._ He hardly seemed to care though; he was managing to hold his own in the saddle and today was definitely a day to show off. He danced around in circles, punching the air. By the look on his face, you'd swear he'd just discovered a chest full of gold.

"Sweet mother of god, this is awesome! This is going to be even more badass when we start using the gear!" His exuberance was skyrocketing, step one on the road to the scout regiment was done.

It was around noon when Josh had reached the front of the line. So far, almost every person in the column had managed to stay upright at least. Eren was one of the few exceptions. Flipping upside down or smacking his head into the dirt every time he tried it. Maybe it was Karma for all of his bragging and grandstanding? They all had to give him credit though, he tried seven times before Shadis had him taken down. He was looking a bit worse for the wear and he had a couple of gashes on his face and hands.

"I really hope that isn't how I end up." Josh gritted his teeth together nervously. "That must hurt like a bitch, not to mention looking like an ass in front of everybody." He was embarrassed to note that everybody seemed to be translating into Annie in his mind half the time. How was she doing with this? Probably great considering her physical state, even though Josh wasn't sure fitness necessarily played a part in holding your balance.

"Kassmeyer!"

"What, huh?"

Shadis smacked him upside the head. "Quit standing there like a halfwit and get up there; it's show time."

"Yes sir!" He ran up. _"I've got to stop zoning out like that, if I did that during and exercise or, god forbid in combat, people would probably die; myself included."_ The assistant hooked him up and tightened all of the clasps on his rig. The air in Josh's lungs felt heavy to him. He was feeling stressed and it was making his back injury flare up in random pain spikes. He hadn't bothered to mention it to anyone, not wanting to try and explain it. He knew where the line of inquiry would extend to if he tried. The restraints tightened slightly. Everyone had their eyes on him, it was uncomfortable. This was it, the moment of truth.

"Hoist him up trooper!" Shadis stood to the side of the crowd, watching intently.

Josh felt his feet start leaving the ground; he tensed up. A pain flared in his lower back and he clutched at it reflexively, which immediately cost him his balance. The world did a head stand and before he knew what happened, he was in the dirt.

"Kassmeyer, what's wrong with your back?!" Shadis was shouting down at him.

"Nothing sir, must have strained a muscle when I was lifting something is all! I can do it, just set me up again."

His second try fared much the same. Barely off the ground and down he went, head impacting on the ground. The back of his skull was throbbing. It felt like there was a fire engulfing his entire brain. What if he wasn't able to do it? What if this was the end of the line already? That didn't seem possible; it had only been two days since they got here. Everyone would be moving on and he'd be going home in shame if he failed again. He started to panic, his anxieties surfacing in full force. His mouth felt dry and his pulse was pounding. He fought hard to get his thoughts in check. He wouldn't be able to focus if he didn't.

Josh wasn't going to go out like this. He had to give it one last go, if all of his friends were making it, he wasn't going to be left alone to tend the fields. He steadied himself and took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He did his best to concentrate the expanse of his mind. _"Keep focused on one thing, don't over complicate things. Just think of Annie. Yeah! Just focus on Annie and you got this! Remember holding her last night? You'll never get to do that again if you can't get it together."_ The thought was powerfully liberating. Just thinking about her made him feel like he was walking on air. He wished more than anything that he could talk to her right now. Annie hadn't been around much that day and she seemed to run off every time he headed her way. Could it be that she was mad at him for last night? As he pondered that notion however, something started nagging in the back of his mind. It sounded like someone talking, rather loudly. The voice slowly resolved itself until he could tell who it was. On the edges of his conscious he could hear Shadis yelling at him.

"Cadet Kassmeyer, do you have shit in your ears; you answer when your commander is speaking to you!"

"Yes sir, I'm ready, wind me up! I'll get it right this time!"

"Son, I'm afraid I can't do that. That's as high as the winch can take you."

"As high as it can take me? Sir I don't understand I'm…already off of the ground?" Josh looked down, puzzled.

"Yes, you've been up there for a couple minutes now. We need to get the next cadet into the harness."

"So, I did it? Or I am doing it?!"

"If that wasn't already abundantly clear, yes, you are doing it."

"Holy shit, this is happening I can't believe it… Jansen was right, this feels pretty badass!"

"Get him down already trooper. I don't know what you did Kassmeyer, but whatever it was keep it up; we're not even into the woods yet." Shadis continued his rounds. He was pleased with results of the preliminary exam thus far. There would be plenty of cadets to continue on to the real thing in a few days. He smiled to himself knowingly; now came the time where he could start making them soldiers.

One week later…

The two of them hadn't really spoken since that night. She knew he wanted to talk, but she'd been doing her best to avoid him, despite the fact she had questions of her own. It wasn't his fault, he hadn't intended to make her feel weird; it just kind of turned out that way. Now a bunch of conflicting emotions were flying around inside her head, leaving her stuck in the middle while they fought it out. She would get to the bottom of it, but until then, seeing him would just get her all mixed up again. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one she could come up with so far.

Annie glided through the trees, swinging slightly as she transferred her hooks to the next point of her path. They had been training on the gear for three days now and each member of the class was expected to make several trips around the forest and back during a given day. Unlike most of the cadets, Annie deigned to go by herself most of the time. It allowed her to think distraction free, something she needed rather badly at the moment. Utilizing the ODM had proved quite useful in finding places to have that alone time. Eight days into a three year program and she could barely recognize herself. All of this because one guy had to go be stupid and mess up her head. She hoped nobody else knew what had happened; one person seeing her vulnerable was bad enough.

She pulled the trigger on her next swing and launched herself up into the canopy of the trees, seeking a branch to recline on. She didn't just want a place to sit though. It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to dip towards the mountains; she wanted to watch it. There was an open branch just above the crest of the taller trees, it was perfect.

This was one of the few activities that she legitimately enjoyed. Sunset was Annie's favorite time of day and it was usually the most calm of the light hours. She stared out towards the golden horizon as the sky turned a fiery red and the clouds a deep shade of violet. The mountains cast a brilliant shadow across the valley just as a light mist was coming over the pines. Not even the most brilliant of artists could capture a moment such as this in a painting. It was a fleeting sight and that's what made it special. She wished she could stay up here forever, basking in the amber glow of the setting sun.

About one hundred and twenty feet below, the four friends from Karanese were on their way back to camp.

"Come on guys, you've really got to see this. It is breath taking."

"Calm down Jansen, we should be getting back to the base before the sun sets, can't this wait until tomorrow?" Albrecht swung up beside him.

"The sunset is exactly what we're going to see so hurry up, I don't want to miss it." He boosted up into the branches.

"He's been talking about this since we started on the gear; I hope this is worth the extra gas we're using." Aline shot right past Albrecht. Josh was close behind her.

"I'm sure we'll get something out of it, Jansen is hyper as all hell, but he rarely disappoints when he wants to share something he's found." Josh called out to her.

"Hey guys, right up here quick!" Jansen had found his mark.

The trio latched onto the trunk of a particularly large tree as they broke free of the ceiling of branches and needles. It was instantly obvious that the trip had been worth it.

"Damn, what a view." Albrecht was in awe.

"It's gorgeous, all the colors and shadows. This has got to be a one of a kind view." Aline was similarly starry eyed over the picturesque scene.

Josh reached into his pocket and pulled out the journal his dad had given him. He'd been keeping track of everything that happened in the last few days and aside from a paragraph about Annie, there had been nothing worthy of putting to prose until now. His position wasn't the most ideal, but he had to jot a few things down while there was still light. This had to be the perfect sunset. He had to make sure to find a place for it when he wrote his first novel. _"The radiant light of the fading day cast its beams toward the crimson sky overhead. The mountains stretched their shadows across all that lay before them and a mist settled amongst the trees. In the background crickets could be heard chirping quietly; it was peaceful."_ Josh said it in his head as he put it to the paper. He smiled as he finished the sentence, it was perfect.

"Thanks for bringing us up here man, good job finding this." Albrecht sighed deeply.

"Anytime, someone has to find these kinds of things. Wouldn't be fair if I kept it all to myself now would it? Let's get going, we want to get to the road before dark."

Three of them leapt down.

"Josh, aren't you coming?" Aline paused.

"I'll catch up; I want to savor this a little more."

"Alright mister poetic, just don't take too long or we're heading back without you."

With that, Josh was alone. He parked himself on one of the branches and gazed out across the vast expanse of land. He felt like he could stay up there forever, basking in the amber glow of the setting sun. His eyes followed a flock of birds heading down into the trees to nest; just then, his eye caught something else in the distance. There was a person sitting on a branch about two hundred meters away from him. He squinted hard, trying to make out who it was. His heart leapt when the realization crept up into the front of his mind. _"Is that Annie? Oh my lord, that's her. Get a move on cowboy, go over there and say something. No more wasted opportunities. You're going to ask her out."_

Josh launched himself across, hopping tree top to tree top, using as much of his fuel reserves as he dared. His determination to reach her was absolute. Anyone who got a look at him would probably think he was mad. At the speed he was going it was amazing he wasn't hitting anything. He was on the last fifty meters; if he didn't slow down he'd have to swing back, wasting precious gas he didn't have already. He clutched the release, braking hard. He swore, he was still coming in too hot. "Annie, heads up, you might wanna duck or something!"

Annie heard a shout coming from her right. Someone was flying toward her, a little too fast for her to not be concerned. A sense of foreboding barely had the chance to creep into her mind. It was **him**. How had he found her? Nobody knew about her spot, or at least she didn't think so. It was just like him, showing up at the worst possible moment. He'd get an ass kicking later for ruining the sunset; but that was a secondary concern for the moment. In the meantime, she had to get out of here while she still had the chance.

She stood and shot her cables down into the forest, but before she could start her descent, he collided with her. It wasn't as hard as she was expecting it to be, he had braced by the look of things, but it still hurt like hell. The two of them tumbled down amidst the branches, missing most of them by some miracle or other. The only obstacle that they couldn't miss was the ground. The force of the impact would splatter them across the dirt like pancakes. Annie barely had time to reflect on the situation. _"I can't believe this is how I'm going to die. I've barely even started this whole ordeal, and I'm dying in a freak accident. The last thing I see is going to be dumbass here; fate is a little too cruel sometimes."_

She braced for the imminent death. One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds, five…wait a minute. Something was up, they should've hit after three. She opened her eyes. The sky wasn't receding anymore, and the ground too was stationary. There was a slight sway to it though. She glanced around, Josh was about five feet from her; both of them were tangled up in the ODM cables and hanging about thirty feet above the ground. Josh looked at her and laughed nervously.

"Heh, um hi Annie."

She looked at him in shock. "Hi? HI?! That's all you have to say after what just happened?!"

"I'm sure I'll think of something else in a minute."

"What the hell Josh?! You came flying out of nowhere and hit me like a runaway cart! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"Well I didn't mean to crash into you obviously!"

"You're lucky we're not puddles of guts down there right now! What the heck was going through your mind?!" She yelled.

"I wanted to see you…" Josh said quietly.

Annie was in disbelief. "You're serious? That's why we're both tangled up in our gear and dangling thirty feet off of the ground right now?"

"Yeahhhhhhhh…sorry, my bad…again."

"I'm going to kick your ass, or whichever part of you my foot can reach right now!" She struggled, but her foot was caught up; she'd have to save the ass kicking for later. That'd just be more effort she could think about putting into it. They hung there for a few moments in awkward silence. By the looks of things, the sun had just dipped below the mountains. It wouldn't be long before twilight was upon them.

"Sorry I got us into this mess." Josh looked at her embarrassed.

Annie sighed. "Well, we're alive at least. Could've easily turned out the other way."

"True enough, small mercies I guess huh?"

"Yeah, mercies right. So how do we get down from here; you got any bright ideas hotshot?"

"None that would be preferable, and not many with even a margin of success."

"Well that's just great, so we're stuck up here until someone realizes that we're missing?" She groaned.

"It could be worse."

"Yeah, and how is that?"

"We could have been by ourselves instead of together?" He ventured, figuring it to be a long shot at best.

"If I was alone, I guarantee this wouldn't have happened." She folded her arms and scowled.

"Well, as long as we're hanging around…do you think we can talk?"

"If you promise to never make a joke like that again, I'll think about it."

Josh righted himself so he could at least be some semblance of comfortable in his current state. His thoughts were crowded with self directed insults. How could he have been so stupid? Every time he got around her, he made an ass of himself. This had to be the icing on the colossal failure cake. There goes the whole asking her out plan. He'd be lucky if she didn't kill him before the night was over. If that was the case he had to at least know what had been going on since they last met.

"So, what happened with you this past week? It's like you've been completely ignoring me since that night by the barracks."

"I've just been super busy you know; lots of stuff to do." She tried her best to say it convincingly. She tripped over the words a lot more than she wanted to; it was already getting awkward.

"You're still a shitty liar you know? Can you just tell me what I did wrong? Last week I mean, not today."

"It's not that you did or didn't do something Josh." She sighed heavily. "I just…don't know how to feel about everything that happened. I don't even know how I ended up in my bed that night to be honest; that's how shaken up my brain is."

"Uhhhhhhh, well funny story about that actually. You kind of fell asleep when we were outside 'cuddling'."

"Yeah…and what about it?"

"I ended up having to carry you back to the bunkhouse. You just looked so adorable that I didn't want to wake you up." He tried to phrase it in a manner that would make it sound a bit less awkward to her.

She flushed slightly. _"He did what? Oh my god, please tell me nobody saw that. I don't think I could handle the embarrassment! That will be the end of me; respect goes right out the window."_ She managed to calm her inner thoughts enough to talk. "So, um thanks for getting me back to my bed. Nobody uh, saw you right?"

"Welllllllllllll…not exactly."

Her face got red again and her eyes widened. "How many people saw you carry me?"

"Just Christa. She actually found me when I was taking you back. She said you don't look as scary when you're asleep."

"What did you tell her about what happened? _Please say nothing, please say nothing!_"

"I kinda maybe sort of told her…everything." He laughed nervously again.

"Oh great, now she's probably gone and told everybody. I'm so screwed. There's no way I can face any of those people now! Do you have any idea how bad this is?!"

"She didn't tell anyone, relax. Your hard ass reputation is still perfectly intact."

"You trust her that much huh?"

"She's probably the nicest person in the whole camp. I've heard people call her angel and goddess more than once already. I asked her not to mention it to anyone, so I trust her to have done just that. Have a little more faith in people once and a while."

"I don't really like people in case you hadn't noticed. Faith has no part of it; people always will pick themselves over you if it comes down to it; that's just a fact. Either that or they land you in some mess you can't get out of. Speaking of which, I still want to get down from here in case you'd forgotten."

"Has anyone ever told you that you look really cute when you're irritated?"

"You can shut up right now, you hear me? I swear it's like you only listen to half of what I say and then go into stupid mode."

"So what, not like you can do anything about it from way over there." Josh injected the sarcasm heavily. He was getting bolder with his statements. It was like being close to her made him a different man, and maybe it did. Even when she was mad he couldn't help but smile at her. He probably looked a little bit crazy. This begged the question, had Christa been right, was he falling in love with Annie? It felt like he was starting to. Can you even feel that way about someone you barely even know?

It took him a moment to realize he'd been zoning out again. He was now surprised to note that she'd managed to get four feet closer to him in the moment or two he'd been out of mind. She was definitely close enough to punch him now. He cables were getting taut though, and she was forcing herself under the last one blocking her reach.

"Annie, I don't think you should be doing that. That cable doesn't look like it's going to hold there."

"You've got a punch or two coming, and you're not getting out of them like last time!" It could've been the strain from pulling herself through the tangle of wires, but it looked like she was blushing.

On the inside she was feeling awkward again. She had to sock him at least once or twice; not excessively, just enough to get the point across. That usually helped calm her down a bit. As she drew back to hit him, a whipping sound echoed behind her. The cable had lost its grip on a branch nearby and she was pulled right into him with a thud. She swore.

"I told you that it wasn't going to hold didn't I?" Josh looked down at her face. She was still irritated, and still adorable. He smiled to himself.

"This is all your fault, so shut it mister." She looked up at him and was kind of surprised. He didn't even look remotely upset about what just happened. He had that same starry look in his eye that he had a week ago when she had _attacked_ him. That idiotically fat smile was plastered across his face, and it seemed like he would burst out laughing at any moment. It was weird, because in spite of everything she was saying and doing; it looked like he was having the time of his life. "What's your deal, you think this is funny?" She was indignant.

"To be honest yeah it kind of is. If anyone asks where I was this whole time and I can say: Oh sorry, I just got caught up with someone for a little bit and couldn't untangle myself from the conversation."

She was about to fire back another insult, but stopped herself. Annie paused for a moment and snickered, stifling a laugh. As dumb as the joke was, it was actually kind of funny.

"Oh my god you're laughing. I can't believe that made you laugh!"

"That was the dumbest joke I've ever heard, I don't know why I'm laughing." She smiled, struggling to hold back her amusement.

He broke into a wide grin. "This is the first time I've ever seen you smile, or laugh, or make a happy expression of any kind. You should do it more, your face just lights up and you get even more beautiful. I seriously thought that was impossible." Josh felt like he was having the time of his life at the moment. They hung there for a few moments laughing with each other, their current predicament almost completely forgotten. Once the two of them managed to calm down for long enough, Annie spoke.

"Can I ask you something and be honest with me okay?" She looked up at him.

"Yes, yes of course; you can ask me anything."

"All of that stuff you've said to me…you've meant every word of it?" She locked her eyes onto his when she said it. She stared at him intently with those big blue crystalline orbs of hers. It felt like she could see right into his soul, which normally would have been terrifying. There was something different in her eyes this time though. There was a shining in them, almost a burning; that was almost always there, but behind that he could see a sense of pleading. It was as if she'd been waiting her entire life for someone to say those things to her. Waiting for someone to "fall in love" with her as Christa had told him once.

He'd originally brushed that off, but he wasn't sure she was wrong about it anymore. Maybe this IS love at first sight. He'd barely thought about anything but her since he first got here and whenever she was in the room, he couldn't look at anyone else. If Christa had been right, he doubted that he'd ever hear the end of it. God forbid if Aline or any of the rest of the class ever found out. Not that he truly cared if they did. At this very moment with Annie pressed up to him with that look in her eyes, he knew he had meant every single word of what he had said.

"Josh, are you okay? Your heart is beating crazy fast right now; is there anything wrong?" Her hand could feel it pounding through his chest and his breathing was heavy. His eyes were locked on hers intently, he didn't even blink.

Josh found himself leaning in towards her. Every single thought and emotion inside him building to a crescendo, he had to do something. _"I can't hold back anymore, and I can't speak when she looks at me so deeply like that. If she kills me for this, at least I'll die happy." _He grabbed her face gently and pulled it towards his. The fire in his eyes was almost startling.

"Josh, what are you doing? Why are you looking at me like t—" The rest was lost to her as their lips touched. He kissed her softly and a shiver went up her spine. Her heart was pounding even harder than his. _"He's kissing me? Is he insane; does he even know what he's doing?"_ He pressed against her lips a bit more intently. He was practically shaking. She could feel him trembling all over. He wasn't the only one. _"I didn't think guys shook so much when they kissed a girl. Unless, could he really be freaking out so much over me? This is so weird, what's wrong with me? I'm not the touchy feely romance type of girl. So, why do I feel so good right now; am I really enjoying this?" _Annie's mind rolled over a hundred different questions in that one moment. She found herself unable to move. It was like she was in some sort of weird trance.

Josh pulled his lips away from hers, still shaking. The look on her face was unreadable. It was something akin to shock, but not quite. Shocked and confused maybe; or possibly shocked and upset? Regardless, she wasn't saying anything.

"Listen, I'm sorry I don't know what came over me just now. That was kind of rude of me to just plant one on you like that." Josh sighed to himself, a little embarrassed and disheartened about the whole affair. "We can just focus on getting ourselves out of here if you wa—" This time Josh was caught off guard.

She pushed her lips against his, almost more passionately than he had done. His heart seemed like it was going to stop, right then and there. Every single second of his life felt like it had been leading up to this moment. A bolt of lightning shot down his spine; he felt numb. Funny enough, she'd made him freeze up again. She'd just called his bluff.

"You're _really _stupid you know that?" Annie looked thoroughly amused.

"Yeah, so I've heard. I feel stupid to be honest. If I'd have known you were that good at kissing I'd have done this way sooner."

"Jackass, like you could have." She snickered.

"You'd be surprised what I'm capable of when I'm motivated enough to get it done."

His tone was suggestive. A mischievous grin was beginning to manifest on his face. His hands were on her hips and his breathing stayed heavy, but more controlled. She felt her features starting to shift as well. The ghost of a smile passed across her lips and her eyes glowed with fiery intensity as the last ray of light dipped below the horizon. Neither of them looked liked they would be backing down from this one.

"It's your move fraulein." Josh smirked.

"I was just about to say the same thing to you…fraulein."

Then, without even a second thought, they got right back into it. It was almost animalistic, or primal, or any number of ways you can think of describing super intense lip locking. Each kiss was stoking a fire deep inside them. Their focus was singular, their thoughts centered only on each other. This really was living in the moment, taking it all one day at a time; caution and regret be damned.

"You know something Josh? I'm not really worried about us being rescued anytime soon."

"Me neither, they can take their sweet time as far as I'm concerned."

For all he cared, the sun could never rise again and he'd think nothing of it. He wouldn't have noticed if the forest was on fire around them. At this point, nothing could burn hotter than the intimacy of this moment. That moment in your life that you pray will last through the end of eternity and beyond. Josh mused to himself inwardly. _"This is definitely going in my first book."_


	5. The First Secret

It's truly amazing how one night can change your entire life. One experience can change your future. One person can turn your world on its head. This whole thing had hit him harder than being shot point blank with a cannon; minus all the broken bones and death. It had been a bit of an awkward affair when their "rescue" had shown up later that evening. They had been kissing for what felt like hours when a search party finally turned up.

It wasn't easy for Josh to distinguish the individual members in the dark, even though they had lanterns. Hearing their voices however, he managed to put together a good idea of who was there: Aline, Albrecht, Jansen, Christa, Sasha, and Connie, by the sound of things. The cohort wasn't far away and here they were up in the air stuck together like tar on a city road. Even under ideal circumstances, this would take a decent amount of explaining.

"I really hope we can get down from here before they see us like this." Annie sounded worried.

"I'm sure we'll get out of this with your reputation intact. If worse comes to worse you can always buy silence by threatening to kick an ass or two." Josh whispered.

"I'll go way past threats and you know it."

"Settle down a little, that isn't going to be necessary."

"Then let's hurry up and do this, as comfortable and warm as you are, I'd rather not end up sleeping outside tonight. On top of that, I think the commandant would kill you if we weren't at formation tomorrow."

"Don't you mean kill _us_?"

"Shadis can try, but he couldn't even manage to touch me."

"He was commander of the Scout Regiment for several years. He's probably capable of a lot more than you or I could ever be."

"You have no idea what I can be capable of doing when the need arises."

"Well then, I hope you can come up with a plan. I'd prefer to live long enough for a second date."

"If this is your idea of a date, I'd hate to see you make something up off the top of your head." Annie snorted. "Anyway, that's something to worry about later; here's what we're going to do…"

Below them, concerned voices echoed through the dark woods.

"Kassy, where are you?! Everybody back at camp is getting worried!" Christa's shouted anxiously, that inflection of genuine care was evident in her voice as always.

"He probably just ran out of gas and had to walk back; we didn't exactly leave him a horse." Aline seemed bored and uninterested.

Sasha grabbed her by her collar and shook her. "Shadis said our group can't eat until everyone is accounted for. He would have been back by now anyway. So damn it we are going to scour every inch of the place until we find him or something we can eat!" Aline wasn't the only person getting freaked out by Sasha.

"Calm down, you look like you're going to kill someone!" Connie was cringing a little bit.

"All the more reason we need to get back as soon as possible. I'd rather my last moments be on the battlefield than at the hands of a hungry lunatic." Jansen held himself proudly and tried his best to reflect nobility.

"Everybody at ease, our great general has got the situation well in hand." Albrecht said sarcastically.

"You can bite me Alb." He snapped.

"Can't you guys stop and focus for five minutes? If you keep fighting and yelling we won't be able to hear him." Christa got between them. "Come on, take this seriously. What if there was an accident; he could be hurt."

The party continued along, their lanterns aloft; the light radiating in a small pool around them. They were oblivious of the hushed exchange going on above them.

Josh and Annie we busy trying to untangle themselves without falling to their deaths. The ropes and cables were knotting up several times during each attempt. At least their height and the yelling below were covering up any noise they made. Despite their desire for stealth, time was of the essence. Soon the party would slip away and they wouldn't find the way back to the camp in the pitch darkness of the woods.

"I've got a good feeling about this one, sixteenth time's the charm." Annie tugged at the cables wrapping around her leg with effort. It was slow in coming, but she was pulling her leg free of it. A creaking sound caught Josh's attention.

"Um, what's that noise? It sounds like something is straining; maybe you shouldn't be moving that part just yet?"

"We're finally making some progress; this isn't the time to be backing out. Remember, this whole thing is happening because of you anyway?"

Not far away, one of the grappling hooks had loosened and was caught on a tree branch. The pull of the cord was causing the branch to start to give. Another hook was being slowly pulled from the trunk in had lodged in.

"Annie, I really don't think you should pull on that cord…"

"Almost there…got it." She pulled herself free of the loop and started on the next one. "See, nothing to worry about we're just fine—"

The creaking sound turned into a groaning and there was a sharp crack, like a whip. A hook whizzed past Josh's right ear and another barely missed his thigh.

"Damn it." Josh sighed and the two of them started falling. That whole ground pancake thing was looking more and more likely. They'd impact the dirt and then boom meat painting. Hopefully they wouldn't land on anyone. Josh was ashamed to find himself wondering whether Sasha was going to eat them. No telling what she was truly capable of when she was hungry. Then, just as the ground was about to shatter his spine, he stopped, again. God must really like him, because one of his hooks was still attached up there somewhere. He didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief before Annie and the full weight of her ODM gear landed on his stomach.

Josh coughed and spluttered. He felt like he was going to hack up a lung, but amazingly hadn't broken anything. Despite that stroke of good fortune, his back was probably going to be killing him in the morning…again. There was a dull pain starting to creep into his body. He took a moment to catch his breath before asking Annie if she was alright. He tilted his head up and saw she was astride him like the night of their first close encounter. Just like that he completely forgot any pain he was feeling. If something like this happened every time he ended up getting hurt by her, it would be worth it a thousand times over. A smile ghosted its' way onto his face. There was a hint of mischief back in his voice; he felt a one liner coming on.

"Geez, can't you wait until we're somewhere private?"

"Even if that was what was going on here, are you telling me that you'd make me wait?" Her wit was sharper than a razor.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think I'd have the willpower." He smirked as she leaned over to kiss him again. His lip quivered as he rose to meet her.

"Ahem!" The two of them froze, stopping halfway into it. They'd somehow completely forgotten about the search party.

"Well now, isn't this a nice surprise? A bit of a compromising position we find you in isn't it?" Aline was standing over them, lantern in hand; the rest of the group arrayed behind her.

Annie and Josh looked back at each other, their faces reddening with embarrassment and the two of them quickly looked away again. Above them Albrecht, Jansen, and Connie were laughing their asses off; the three of them practically bursting at the seams. Christa was trying and failing to hide her own giggling.

"I can't believe this, everybody back at the camp worried half to death about you and we find you here getting it on with angry eyes." Aline said sarcastically, feigning concern and shock.

The two of them answered at the exact same time. "Aline, why don't you shut the hell up?"

She threw her head back and laughed. "Well whatever you're doing, finish it up and let's go. I want to get back to the base before Sasha decides to eat one of us." Aline jerked her thumb backwards. Sasha's eyes were blazing red. Deep down, everyone was really hoping she was above things like cannibalism. She'd already jumped back on her horse.

"Let's go, come on. I am not going hungry tonight. I feel like I could eat this horse and two sacks of potatoes right now!" Her voice was shrill and the horse was looking even more anxious to leave than she was.

Most of them headed back to their mounts as Annie pulled Josh up. Albrecht, Connie, and Jansen were still laughing and Aline was making kissy faces at them. It wasn't going to be easy to hold Annie back from beating her up if she kept egging her on like she was. As usual it was Christa who was actually trying to move things along and keep the peace. She rode over to them pulling an extra horse behind her.

"We weren't expecting to find you with anyone Kassy, so we only have one extra ride. I hope you two won't mind sharing for the trip back."

Annie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'm taking the reins." She got up into the saddle and Christa smiled at Josh. It was that knowing smile that she had whenever she'd been proven right. He narrowed his eyes and mouthed "_We'll talk about this later_" before climbing up behind Annie.

"For the record, don't think you can try anything just because my hands are preoccupied with steering the horse." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "There are too many people here and I don't need to get embarrassed anymore tonight; but, I'd like to say thanks for everything anyway. Despite all that happened, I had a nice time. Just do me a favor and don't crash into me next time you feel like talking."

"You got it, and thanks for not punching me or anything this time around."

"We're not back yet, there's still time for you to mess up again." She smirked and spurred the horse forward.

"Don't go running off again you two!" Jansen called to them as he saddled up.

"Hey, don't be getting all jealous on me man. I may have found a woman first, but there's **probably** still hope for you." Josh laughed as the cohort began the return ride.

From a few meters behind him, Aline smiled discreetly and flicked the reins of her mount. _"Way to go Joshy boy; I'm proud of you."_

The night air was crisp and calm. Their horses galloped down the well beaten dirt road that stretched across the valley. The eight of them were bathed in the light of the half moon and the golden glow of swinging lanterns. The speed at which they traveled wasn't making this an exceptionally comfortable ride for Josh; saddles weren't made for two people. Trying to match the determined speed of Sasha and Annie was proving to be difficult for everyone else. Both were heading to the same destination, but had different reasons for rushing to get there. Sasha was obviously motivated by food, whereas Annie was dead set on having as little time to be exposed as possible.

It had caused Josh to wonder what her reasons for trying to appear cold and apathetic were. It wasn't like she had anything to prove to anyone. Not that she'd really try even if she did. She wasn't out to impress or fight someone in particular, no more than usual anyhow when it came to fighting. Maybe it had something to do with those guys she'd shown up with? He had heard their names a couple of times. Bertolt Hoover and Reiner Braun were their names. The two of them were enormous, taller than anyone else in the class. Bertolt seemed mild mannered enough and he'd seen both him and Reiner trying to help Eren with passing the 3D gear balance test. Nice guys, both willing to lend a hand to help their comrades. So what had brought them here with Annie or her with them? She'd sat with them in the mess hall on a few occasions, so they obviously knew each other before coming here somehow. It wasn't really his business, so it would likely be better just to let it go for the time being.

When the group made it back to camp, they all rushed to the dining hall, just in time to get some food. The place was pretty much empty, save for a scattered handful of other recruits. The group filled their mess tins and went off to their separate seats. Alb, Connie, and Jansen sat together, continuing some discussion about the future they'd been at for the better part of a week. Aline tried to make conversation with Sasha, finding no suitable men around to fawn over her. Josh sat with Christa and Annie sat alone in the corner, right back to that façade of apathy she loved so much.

"So, you and her really seem to have hit it off this time huh?" Christa looked at Josh, eager for details about the encounter.

"Interesting choice of words, but yeah you could say that." Josh was staring across the room at Annie absentmindedly.

"Sooooooo, what exactly happened? I'm glad you were enjoying yourself, but I got worried when you didn't come back after sunset."

"I was up in the canopy watching the sun go down, she was too I guess. I saw her on a tree a couple hundred yards away and when I went over to her, well I kind of crashed into her and we got tangled up in each other's cables. So we were stuck up in the branches."

Christa looked shocked. She grabbed his arms, looking him over. "Neither of you broke anything did you? I can't imagine how bad that must have hurt."

"You are seriously the most caring human being on the planet I swear. You've got to be the closest thing to an angel we'll see in this life. You're always so worried about how everyone is doing and making sure people aren't at each other's throats all the time. You'll probably be called Saint Christa by the time we graduate. That aside, no we didn't break anything we're both fine."

"I'm just glad you're both okay." She hugged him before resuming her previous inquiry. "So did you and Annie make good use of the alone time?"

"Yeah, I suppose that's one way of putting it. She's really different when you get her alone. I don't know how much practice she's had but, she kisses like she invented it." Josh laughed softly and grinned.

"Well now, someone moved things along pretty quick huh? It almost sounds like you're in love with her." The last part was said sarcastically; Christa already knew that answer to that.

"It's almost ironic seeing how when I was coming here, I told all of my friends that we wouldn't have time for that kind of stuff. It really is a funny change of events; yeah I think I am in love with her. You could see that from day one I remember."

"So, where do you think you'll go from here on?"

Josh thought about that. He couldn't really find an answer to give Christa. What happened from here on was more dependent on Annie than it was on him. All he could do was work with her on that and hope that things turned out favorably over the next weeks, months, or years. Regardless of the outcome, he'd be damned if he didn't give his all to making her his. Love, what a strange little word it was. Even more strange was the immense power it had over people.

He found Annie after dinner and they sat behind the mess hall and talked. She'd calmed down a bit after having time to herself to think over the "rescue".

"Well, even though that was probably one the most embarrassing moments of my life, it could have been worse." She put her hands on her chin and sighed. "Keeping up my appearance with these people is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

"Do you think you'll be able to do it for the next three years or maybe even longer?"

"Not at this rate, but let's just hope the number of people in the know doesn't get any bigger than it already is." Secrets had a bad habit of being able to crumble kingdoms if they got into the wrong hands at some point.

"I think you worry a bit too much about peoples' opinion of you to be honest. However, I'll do my best to help you preserve your public image if that is what you want."

She smiled at him. Despite his sometimes lack of forethought, he was genuinely a sweet guy and he meant well. It was more than she could say of most other guys who'd chased after her in her life. To be honest, all she wanted was to have a life that was normal, a life where she could be content; maybe he was her ticket to that life. She leaned close to him and he hugged her. The two of them shared a kiss and savored the peace and quiet for a few minutes before getting up and walking back to the barracks. In spite of herself, she found she was holding his hand, like he was her school girl crush or something. It was kind of embarrassing when she thought about it and when she did it he just smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Good thing nobody was out here to see it.

"Jean is such an ass; I can't believe someone that arrogant thinks he's MP material." A voice came from behind them. It was Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.

"Eren just let it go. You're not going to get anywhere by picking fights with him." Armin said for probably the fifth time.

"If he fights Eren he'll answer to me." Mikasa chimed in quietly.

Annie turned and looked Josh in the eye. "I'm really sorry about this." She knocked him on his back with a swipe of her leg. She spoke just loudly enough for Armin to hear her.

"If you follow me around like that again, you'll find yourself with a broken nose you creep." She walked off, leaving Josh a little dazed.

"Are you okay? What was that all about?" Eren ran over and helped Josh up.

"I'm not sure, that girl is kind of prone to violent outbursts I think." Josh brushed himself off. "That's three times since I got here she's done that to me."

"You might want to steer clear of her from now on then." Armin was as full of his sage advice as always.

"Thanks for the tip; I'll definitely take that into consideration." Josh coughed a little and looked off after Annie. _"I think this whole thing is going to take a bit of getting used to. All the punching and kicking hurts like a bitch, but damn I love that girl."_


	6. Before the Storm

Three Years Later…

Year 850, four months before graduation

In the forest, amidst the branches of the trees, figures flew past in a blur. Gliding through the air like phantoms, only the hiss of decompressing gas marked their passing. The hunters sought their objective with intensity. It was in the next clearing over, they were sure of it. They would not be returning from the fields without achieving victory. Find the target and take it down, those were the orders. They were simple and straightforward. As the distance was closed, blades were drawn and locked into place. The sound of locking steel rang out and the swords gleamed in the sunlight. Now their quarry was in sight. Five of them were arrayed in the clearing, one for each of the hunters. This was the fifth and final set of the exercise; one attack run was all they got and all five targets had to be eliminated with precision accuracy. They group cleared the last stretch of branches and were now in the open.

"Alright guys, here we go; knock 'em down. Josh, Christa, Take the fourteen meter ones in the center! Jansen, you and Aline swing around and nail those two at the rear! Tall boy in the front is mine." Albrecht's voice was commanding and strong; the last few years of training had changed him. None of his friends had imagined he'd evolve into a leader like he had. During the last few months, the five of them had formed a capable squad and developed a solid average of kills during various training missions. This was the last of which before the final term started.

"You got it Al. Christa, I'm going to come in low and we're going to criss-cross on each other's targets. That way, we have a back up if one of us doesn't manage to cut deep enough on the first run." Josh swung down and fired his hook parallel to the nape of the wooden titan's neck. Across from him, Christa did the same. The duo sped themselves along the cables and drove their blades through the pads, cutting almost clean to the core on both. The sound was satisfying. An instant later they had rebounded off of the nearest tree trunks and launched into the air. They came down hard and severed what remained; steel slashing sideways as the pads fell to the earth in neat halves. When they passed again, they clapped their blades together in a sort of high five.

"Not bad Kassy, I think that was our best run all morning!" Christa was jubilant.

"Take a look at yourself, never would've imagined you to be so ferocious with a sword! God help the titan that tries to bite you!" Josh had his grin plastered on his face as usual.

For their part, Jansen and Aline made use of their own personal styles of cutting. Jansen came in from directly behind, whipping himself into a top-like spin to liberate the wooden monster of it's' neck. The blades both bit deep, a clean kill. He used his momentum to swing up into the trees again, pleased with his handiwork. Aline wasn't far behind him. Ready to strike, she brought her blades in close to her body and carved the neck in a punishing X-cut, shredding it into pieces.

She wheeled around the clearing, cackling victoriously. "Woooooo! Kicking ass and taking names, we are on fire today! Just wait until the boys get a load of me!"

"Yeah and when they do they'll realize they can do a lot better!" Jansen laughed.

Finally, came the largest of the five and Albrecht was poised for the kill. He took a deep breath and let his weight carry him through his maneuver. With split-second reflexes he fired his grapple between the legs of the rotating target, swinging into the opening by the skin of his teeth. He shot above the canopy and launched himself downward, shouting as he delivered the death blow. It just barely went deep enough. He had to work on that. After all, close only counted in horseshoes. It was an otherwise perfectly executed strike; he rejoined his friends. The five of them let out a triumphal roar as they reformed. **"WIR SIND DIE JAGER!"** We are the hunters. It had become the group's unofficial motto. In the time since they started training, they had all become even closer. As for Christa, she may as well have known them all her whole life. They had shed everything except blood together as a squad. They all laughed and sped out of the clearing, soaring into the thick cluster of trees and out of sight. It was still again, save for the rustling of the breeze through the branches. Up on a tree stand, Shadis had been scrutinizing each of them, making notes under their names.

_"__Albrecht Johannes, not as skilled with the sword as he is on ODM but, a natural born leader with brilliant tactical assessment time."_

_"__Aline Holde, artfully skilled with her blade, but possesses an ego large enough to crush a mansion."_

_"__Jansen Duerk, the kind of cadet who was born with the dream of being a soldier. All around above average grades, too focused on wanting glory and playing hero."_

_"__Christa Lenz, loved by her comrades, often seen as an angel. As an individual, her mannerisms seem at odds with soldiering but, as part of a team she excels in combat and promotes unit cohesion."_

_"__Josh Kassmeyer, makes the cut on and off the field, steadfastly loyal and determined, even if his mind does tend to wander."_

Shadis nodded to himself; the class had shaped up nicely. When the time came, he hoped they would all be ready to face down the real thing. It was a hard thing to hope for. No amount of training could truly prepare any soldier for their first taste of battle. Seeing comrades die all around you, suffering humiliating defeats again and again; it is an agonizing burden. Those who could carry that weight would survive where many others would not. Those would be the cadets that made him proud. Those cadets would be proof that he'd done right by them, trained them and made them as ready as he could. After that, it was a dance between them and the hands of fate.

The group stopped once they had made it to the edge of a shaded glen where they had parked their horses. Everyone was taking a much deserved breather after that.

"That has got to be our personal best. Was anyone keeping track of how long that last area took us to clear?" Jansen was beside himself.

"By my count, approximately thirty seconds all told from split to reform." Albrecht sat down on a nearby rock.

Josh came over and clapped him on the back. "You really came through for us out there man. You'll command your own company in the garrison before long." He took a drink from his canteen and looked around at his compatriots. They'd grown so much in the last couple of years, stronger, as individuals and together. In many ways though, they had stayed the same: Aline still had her mouth and ego, Jansen bore his uniform even more proudly than before, Albrecht was still a figure of contemplation, and Christa, as always, was the kindest human being on the face of the earth. Only now she had swords. Out of the entire group, she'd been the first to score a "kill" during training. Nobody had seen that one coming, especially Josh. Now, she was among the top cadets in the entire class. That smiling, helpful, peace loving girl was on the elite level. Training had slowly but surely molded them into proper soldiers. This was a time they would reflect on happily until the end of their days. Even with them splitting up after graduation, Jansen to the Scouts, Christa, the MPs, and Aline, Albrecht, and himself to the Garrison; he hoped they could stay in contact and stay friends. Josh thought about when they'd first left home, a lifetime ago now. He'd almost completely filled the journal his dad had given him; filled it with enough stories and tales to flesh out a trilogy of novels. One of which focused primarily on a certain girl he had fallen in love with. He never named anyone in particular; hint, it was Annie, not that anyone who read it would know that. At least he hoped they wouldn't. That was more because she'd kill him if anyone found out all of the mushy feely things he'd written about involved her. Even after all this time, she still insisted on keeping up her tough girl, I don't care about anything visage. On occasion that still included punching or kicking him a couple of times. She actually knocked Aline out once when her jibes had come close to letting the cat out of the bag. Josh almost felt bad that he'd laughed at the time.

Despite all the things about her that drove him crazy, the things he didn't understand; he wanted to marry her someday. Maybe they'd settle down in a quiet country village and raise a couple kids when everything was said and done. Everyone told him that he daydreamed too much. Jansen had once laughed and said he hoped the kids would call him uncle if they lived long enough to have families like that.

Maybe that was something worth raising a glass to? He stood up on the rock spreading his arms wide like a preacher. "Everyone, I would like to make a toast of sorts if I may?" He'd rather have had a stein; those were much more suited to such an occasion. He didn't know if anyone had ever raised a toast with just military canteens and water.

"With our canteens? What are we toasting to?" Aline laughed.

Josh smiled and raised his own. "To the future, may we all prosper and find fulfilling lives."

"And may we turn heads and raise hell until the day we die!" Jansen shouted.

"Don't you usually need alcohol to make a proper toast?" Albrecht asked curiously.

"Who cares if it's proper? Just pretend it's vodka or something if that makes more sense to you. To the future and raising hell!" Christa squeezed in and raised her flask. Everybody laughed at the unexpectedly fiery remark. No matter how well you thought you knew someone, they could still surprise you. She was evidently in an energetic mood. It wasn't surprising; all five of them had been running on adrenaline for several hours. They cracked their canteens together and drank. Training was soon to be over and they were on the edge of the home stretch. Then they would be soldiers, fighting the good fight as it were. When they'd drunk their fill of imaginary liquor, they mounted up to head in again.

They took their time, allowing themselves to enjoy the ride and the sunshine. A light breeze blew through the air and added to the tranquility. It temperatures weren't murderous up here like they could be in camp. There were trees and grass out here in contrast to the often hot baking dirt pit that the HQ of the Training Corps had been placed in. the heat was miserable at times, but when it rained, the work became really slow going as they slogged around in the mud. A number of them thought that the location had been chosen just for the reason of adding a little extra discomfort to the whole process. At least there were no more exercises until they started on hand to hand tactics tomorrow. On top of that, Shadis would still be grading squads in the forest course for a couple more hours so hurrying back wasn't necessary. After relishing in the peace and quiet for a time, the quintet came up to the crest of a small ridge before the road started to dip down towards the base. Josh could still see it the same way as day one all those months ago. He felt like he was always getting caught up in reminiscing these days for one reason or another. The month and years ahead were doubtless going to bring a lot of new experiences he would carry with him. At the back of his mind, there was a nagging sense that many of those would be nightmares.

They returned their horses to the stables and resolved to spend the afternoon relaxing. Once they were back at the barracks, the lot of them dropped their rigs and collapsed on their beds. They were tired. It had taken a while, but when the adrenaline had worn off finally, it hit them like a ton of bricks. Their limbs felt like lead and everything was sore. Several hours of training that morning and in between each target site they drilled constantly. This was done so that the further into the exercise they went; they felt as though they had intense battle fatigue.

"Okay, nobody bug me I'm taking a nap." Jansen mumbled through his pillow.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for hand to hand training tomorrow, maybe in a few days." Aline groaned.

"I swear to God the commandant probably planned out things with this in mind. At least hand to hand doesn't count much against our final grade." Josh rubbed his forehead.

"That's no reason not to take it seriously. Shadis cares more about that than your grade." Christa rolled over and looked down at him. "I don't disagree though. A little time to recuperate would be nice; you're always in more pain the day after an intense workout."

"You guys are being melodramatic. I'm not even the least bit tired; I could…do this stuff in…my sleep." Albrecht was already passing out.

"Well, I'm going to go take a hot shower; maybe that will dull the pain for a bit." Josh grabbed a towel from his trunk and walked out the door in what amounted to the appearance of a drunken stumble. It must have looked rather comical to see him walking to the bath house. It took him three minutes of pulling on the door to remember that it pushed in. _"I really hope nobody saw that."_ Once inside, he no longer cared. The room was devoid of any company; it was nice to be alone for a while. He stuffed his uniform into one of the cubby holes and went to a cubicle. They all had short walls that were most likely for dividing up the units rather than providing any privacy. That was part of military life he supposed. Everything is made with efficiency in mind rather than individual comfort.

He pulled on the chain. It took a moment for the warm water to fill the pipe, but the dozen seconds of cold water was always worth it. There weren't really many "luxuries" afforded to them over the course of their time here. One was a consistent guarantee of food; the other was hot water. Pipes running underground connected to a nearby hot spring. This was the only place where that warm, rejuvenating blessing fed into the compound. The water rolled off of him, coming down through his hair in streams. Soothing was not even close to describing how good this felt. He realized how much he ached after the hot water started loosening his muscles. He felt so tired, the strain of the morning catching up to him more and more. Nothing in his body wanted to stay on at the moment. Slumping down to the floor under the shower head, he thought to himself. _"Maybe I can just take a quick nap. I'm shutting down whether I like it or not so why not? Just five minutes, that's all I need." _Then, he was out like a light.

A short while later, he stirred awake again, the sound of footsteps rousing him from slumber. Josh stood up and yawned, popping his back. His vision was a little fuzzy, but he could see someone changing over by the storage shelves. It took him a second or two to realize who it was. "Oh, hey Sasha, what's up?" he paused for a moment. He rubbed his eyes; she was cowering behind a towel.

"What the heck? Sasha what are you doing in here?!" He grabbed his towel, desperately trying to make himself decent.

"What do you mean what am I doing in here?! What are you doing in here?! These are the girl's showers you idiot!" Her face was a bright red.

"Holy shit I'm so sorry!" He was trying to cover himself and his eyes at the same time. "I didn't see anything I swear to God!"

"Get the frick out of here or I'm telling Shadis!" She looked infuriated.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't mean to. I was half asleep and just kind of stumbled i…"

"GET OUT!" She threw her boot at him. It narrowly missed his head.

"Okay okay, I'm going. I just need to change first."

"I SAID GET OUT **RIGHT NOW**!" She started throwing more stuff at him, moving across the room and using anything in reach to pelt him. She more or less chased him out the door, slamming it at his back.

"Can I at least have my clothes back?" He pleaded. After a moment, she threw them out the door into his face. "Thank you Sasha…" He pulled on his uniform as quickly as possible, not noticing a cluster of people were looking around the corner.

"Did you have fun in there?" Jean said sarcastically. Connie, Marco, and Thomas were snickering behind him.

"You all are assholes and you can bite me."

"Sneaking into the girl's showers is just shameful. You can try to weasel your way out of it, but I know you did it on purpose. Well, at the very least did you get a good look at anything?" Jean stared him down, that haughty arrogant look on his face.

"No, the thought never even crossed my mind. I'm really starting to see why Eren hates you so much, horse face."

"What the hell did you just call me?"

"Nothing, never mind. Just try to be a little bit nicer or I'll have to tell your mom about it Jean-Boy." Josh walked away and smirked. Jean was a prick, but at least it was easy to get under his skin.

"Ha, horse face." Connie was trying not to laugh.

"Shut up before I beat you Connie."

Whether that was the worst or most memorable thing that had happened this week he wasn't sure. Regardless, the sooner that it was forgotten the better. At lunch and dinner that day he was able to buy her forgiveness with his helping of meat and potatoes.

"So are we good now; is this behind us?" He sighed. She vigorously nodded as she wolfed down the extra food. That always seemed to be a surefire way to get on her good side. She had been kind enough not to tell anyone about it; and Jean had shut up after his horse face comment and the mention of his mother. He'd come out of it no worse for the wear, and good thing too. Accident or not, he'd have caught all kinds of hell from every girl in the class. At least, with that issue resolved, he tried to sleep a little better that night. He needed the rest.

In the depths of that night he had a dream that he was standing in an open field. On the horizon he saw black clouds rising into the sky as rain poured down on him. He trudged through the muck, anxious to see what lay under the black clouds. However, every time he got near enough to try and make out anything, the clouds had receded away from him and he had to start the journey over. No matter how hard he tried, he never made it in time to see what lay underneath them. The only other thing in the dream space was occasionally a rotted tree with a pairing blade stuck in it. The same cycle over and over again, never becoming any clearer as time passed. He wished there was some sense to be found in it, but he located none. It left him wondering how to discern it's meeting until sleep claimed him.

Close quarters combat training began in earnest after breakfast the following morning. Cadets paired up and worked with a range of different 'weapons': wooden daggers, wooden rifles, sometimes just their fists. It seemed weird to train for this kind of combat when the only thing they'd ever potentially fight was the titans. Reiner had said something about being prepared for any kind of battle and that the enemy came in many forms. "Soldiers, the ones worth their salt anyway, are prepared for anything." He'd said that as they walked up to the practice field. Jansen of course, hung on those words, intent on proving his skills to anyone he fought. Funny enough, the first person he went toe to toe with was Bertolt. Bertolt had no trouble winning that one, even though Jansen repeatedly tried to turn that around. His ability never seemed to live up to his bravado, but he was tenacious, you had to give him at least that much.

Josh kept his eyes open for Annie, actually kind of hoping to partner up with her for this. It was one of the few times they could be in intimate proximity to each other and nobody would question it. It was a convenient way to have a conversation with each other and maintain her "image" at the same time. Plus, the punches and kicks weren't hurting as much anymore. He was either getting used to it, or all of his nerves were dying from all the abuse. Even after three years, she hadn't managed to do any permanent damage. She probably knew where to hit him so that all he got was a few bruises. It had turned a few heads and raised concern among his friends, mainly Christa. She'd sometimes spend hours treating his newest array of "love marks". Like everything else, her bedside manner was almost better than most peoples' mothers would treat them. The guy who managed to win Christa over was doubtless going to be the envy of men everywhere.

He searched around for a while, trying to locate Annie while keeping enough distance to avoid attracting notice. He found her after a few minutes; it looked like she was beating on Eren. He hid behind a tree to watch and listen. Hopefully he wasn't there long enough to be spotted; he probably looked creepy doing this. He strained his ear to understand what they were saying.

"Wait, so you mean this training in general is pointless?" Eren stood up.

"Hand to hand combat doesn't really count against our final grade. The smart ones blow it off. It's a crap shoot anyway, only the top ten cadets get to serve in the interior. The rest of us, forget it. Point is, only idiots like you take this part of boot camp seriously. Idiots and whatever **they** are." She gestured over at Connie and Sasha who were acting like they were ninja fighting. Shadis wasn't too happy about that and he picked Connie up by his head and growled in his face. Eren was now trying to use her distraction to gain the upper hand in their knife fight. He wasn't winning. "First rule of this life kid, the better you are at dropping the bad guys, the more distance the powers that be put between you. That's what this whole stupid farce is about."

"Sure, whatever you say!" He tried to move her arm to get an advantage. She knocked his legs out from under him and held the knife to his neck.

"Face it, you don't fight the nature of things and win. Look around you Eren; all the sonsabitches really expect us to do is play the game. Don't be a pawn." She walked off the field and passed the area where Josh was hiding.

"Did you really have to be so vague and ominous back there?" Josh stepped out from his spot. Annie reflexively punched him in the chest, slightly startled. She looked down at him and rolled her eyes.

"Don't sneak up on me like that you retard. Wait, were you standing back here watching me this whole time?"

"Well, not this whole time, just the last few minutes." He looked off into space.

"That's not creepy at all." She helped Josh to his feet. "Am I wrong about what I said though?"

"I don't really see how it applies to you honestly. No doubt in my mind that you're going to be selected for the MP regiment." He coughed and cleared his throat.

"That's not the point Josh. It's about the people at the top seeing us as nothing more than toys to be thrown away when their done playing with us."

"Well, maybe we can fix things someday? You know, make a difference for the better." They started walking off towards a small grove of trees to relax.

"I'm not the system would hold together if someone like you was put in charge. You're too good of a person for that kind of job. As much as it sucks to admit, the people in power play dirty and that's how they get stuff done. People like you are too kind; nations have fallen because of leadership like that." She leaned against a tree and sighed, putting her hands in her pockets. She'd once told him that it wasn't pessimism that drove such feelings. She'd phrased it more as her being a realist. Her outlook on life wasn't as positive as his was ninety nine percent of the time. He preferred not to focus on that too much. He'd always enjoyed having a more uplifting attitude; it helped with the tedium of day to day life here. On top of that, distracting her from the negative was just something he could do for her from time to time. It wasn't a lot, but it had made her smile more often.

"So, all of this depressing junk aside that was some technique you used out there."

"That? That was nothing, just a couple of well timed kicks and the right amount of force to keep him down. It wasn't much harder than the basics really." She shrugged.

"You know a lot of moves I'm sure." He put his arms on either side of her and smiled mischievously. "Maybe you could teach me some of your more advanced techniques sometime?"

"Ha, don't be dirty you pervert." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Besides, you don't ask for that kind of stuff from me. You have to be offered any special training."

"Are you saying you'd say no to me if I did ask?" Josh echoed a something she'd said to him a long time ago after their first kiss.

"I don't know, maybe if you're lucky, you'll get my answer someday." She leaned up and kissed him gently and pulled him to her. It always made his heart pound like crazy when she did that; it was funny. "Easy there Kassy, don't have a heart attack. If you can barely keep calm after that I don't know if you'll be able to handle everything else."

"Oh bite me; it's your fault for being so good at it." He laughed and the two of them sat down at the base of the tree. She grabbed his arm and snuggled up to him.

"You're stupid you know that?" A smile crossed her face and she looked out across the training field towards the lake. This was that kind mushy love crap that they wrote about in romance novels. They had their own spin on the whole deal, but it was close enough to work if you factored out the self imposed secrecy and occasional beating and bruising. He was a bit of a nut job, this guy. No one in their right mind would have willingly put up with all this for three years. Yet here he still was, just as enthusiastic about it as he was day one. He'd also done a superb job of working to keep her appearance going in front of everyone. The others had kept their mouths shut as well, mostly because she'd threatened to murder anyone who spoke about it.

The two of them had really grown on each other. If you'd told them that this was going to happen three years ago, Josh probably would have been overjoyed and then Annie would have punched him. Nowadays, they were able to just relax in each other's company and just ignore everything and everyone for a little while. When they were alone, nothing else really seemed to matter anymore; it was like the whole world stopped for them to have a moment of peace. She was so cute when she curled up to him. She always had this calm look that rarely presented itself on any other occasion. Josh looked down into her eyes and brushed the hair out of her face, he smiled.

"What are you smiling about up there?" She tilted her head back to look at him.

"It's funny to think that there were days when you really hated to cuddle."

"Please do me a favor and don't call it that. I still hate the C word."

Josh laughed and hugged her. _"I guess some things never change."_

Graduation day was upon them all before they knew it. The last couple of months were intense exercise after intense exercise. Everything from ODM to force marches day after day. Two hundred and eighteen of them made it all the way start to finish. All of them were arrayed before the commanders in the main yard. The hours before the ceremony had been full of excited shouting and words of congratulations among everyone. After that, they formed and listened to the final speech that had been prepared for them.

"Do you have heart?!" The Cadet Corps commander shouted from the stage.

"SIR!" All of them stood straight and rendered a salute.

"As of this moment you have three options open to you, choose wisely! There is the Garrison Regiment, whose job is to reinforce the walls! The Scout Regiment, they ride out into the titan territory to take back what was once ours! Finally, the Military Police, these soldiers maintain law and order under orders from his royal majesty! Those cadets eligible for the MPs have already been selected. The rest of you, take a good look; this is the top of your class!"

Ten cadets stood at the fore. They were the subject of envy and awe, the best young soldiers in the nation: Mikasa, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Eren, Jean, Marco, Connie, Sasha, and at the very end, Christa. Everyone among them had their head held high. Well, Annie just kind of stood there looking nonchalant actually. Josh smiled to himself, proud that so many of his friends had made it to the MPs. Albrecht, Jansen, and Aline stood on either side of him. All of them looked every inch the soldiers they'd trained to be.

Look at them all. Full of piss and vinegar; ready to take on the entire world if they wanted to. Somebody, in a book somewhere had referred to it as the confidence of youth. Now, for good or ill, they were the defenders of the human race, a bastion against the crimson tide which threatened to engulf them. That was a good line, definitely one worth writing down in the journal. It sounded strong and poetic, perfect for a dramatic moment. That entry could wait however, this was the time for other matters.

"Cadets, in three days time, you will select your regiment. Whichever you choose will be where you utilize your training for years to come. Until that time, you will be stationed in Trost with the Garrison. You will assist with cannon maintenance as well as city and wall patrols. However, that is for tomorrow. For tonight, celebrate and have a good time; you all have earned it. Coming this far, you've made me damn proud of all of you. Now go out there and make you class proud! Cadets, you are dismissed!"

The class was able to change out of their uniforms and enjoy themselves. An entire hall had been reserved for them to have food and drink to celebrate their achievement. Josh managed to find a table with room enough for everyone in their group. Sasha brought over a tray with tankards for all of them and Jansen divided up the food plates. They were all laughing and clapping each other on the backs. It was truly a long awaited and glorious moment. A wave of bitter sweetness also was on them. There were only three more days before they had to go their separate ways; it felt much too soon. The blades of Karanese, as Eren had referred to them a few times, had spent their entire lives together. It was hard to imagine being flung across the kingdom from each other. The friends they'd made during training would be doing the same. Even as MPs they could be sent anywhere the government chose. It pained Josh to think that he may never see any of them again. He shook it off, the time for goodbyes would be later. He rose to his feet, stein in hand.

"Everyone, I am and will always be honored to have spent my training alongside each of you. Come what may, I pray for the best for all of us. We came so far in three years that I barely recognize myself. Wherever the wind blows us, I hope that someday, we can all come back to this place and to raise our glasses in friendship. To us, and to class 104, the future of humanity's finest."

"Someday, they're going to talk about our class in the outlying districts of Wall Maria. Let's make sure they have plenty to talk about!" Jansen downed his beverage in one go. He leaned so far back that he fell off of the bench.

"Wow Jans, had to make an ass of yourself at least one more time before we're done?" Aline was cracking up. "God help the scouts if they sign you on."

"Says the girl who will probably sleep her way to the top of the Garrison." He grunted as he stood up again.

"You rotten bastard, get over here!" Aline leapt over the table and Jansen started running. Much to the amusement of everyone in the room, she chased after him. There was a certain nostalgia factor to it Josh felt. He stared at them, fighting like little kids. They were all changed, but still so much the same. They could think of these moments someday and smile. As long as they had times like this to remember, they'd be close with one another no matter where they were.

"You know, before we all split, you need to go and talk to Annie. See if you can find a few hours of one on one time." Christa looked sidelong at Josh.

"Yeah, I know. I've been trying to avoid thinking about it very much. It's almost too much for me to bear, not knowing when I'll see her again."

"You may not have made it into the top ten, but you did well enough that you may be able to put in a location request with the Garrison. With any luck, they'll let you be stationed where her police precinct is."

"You really think that would work?" He was kind of skeptical of the idea. Nobody up top owed him any favors and the military wasn't known for doing things out of the good of their hearts.

"When you love someone, life will always find a way to bring you back to them. It may not happen that way, but it will. Somehow you'll find her again." She always managed to help the situation resolve itself. She was always ready to assist in problem solving. She'd make you feel happy when you were down or pick you up when you'd fallen. She could probably stop a war just by telling people to give each other a hug. Christa Lenz was nothing short of a saint. Josh knew he was going to miss her a lot. It was going to feel weird for a while not having that little angel hovering around.

"You better take care of yourself out there alright? People are liable to try and take advantage over a cop with a heart of gold like yours. If anyone tried to hurt you I'd probably kill them."

"Listen to you going into big brother mode over here. Don't worry, I'll be fine trust me on that one. I know how I look, but I didn't make it into the top ten because of my looks or good nature. I've got the skills to deal with any problems that come my way." Josh smiled to himself; she was right. You'd never guess the caliber of soldier she was by looking at her or talking to her. That would probably surprise more than a few unwary criminals.

The night's revelries continued on for a number of hours, punctuated at one point by a very poignant speech from Eren about humanity's fight against the titans. It was so eloquently worded that Josh scrambled to get it written down somewhere in his journal. He'd need to get some more paper before he shipped off. Three years worth of stories and notes had filled it up almost completely. When all was said and done, he'd have one hell of a book to put together. By the time the hall was almost empty, cadets had scattered themselves across town doing all sorts of things and getting up to mischief. The MPs were having a hell of a time keeping them all in line. It was a good thing Shadis wasn't there to see this; he'd be cracking a few heads. He headed back to their sleeping quarters alone, Christa having been pulled aside by that tall girl named Ymir. How the two of them were friends, he couldn't possibly figure out. Ymir's personality was very abrasive and she was passive aggressive even at the best of times. That being said, walking back by himself he bore witness to some interesting spectacles. He saw Franz and Hannah going at it in an alley he passed. Armin had been approached by a courtesan while he walked with Marco and he seemed thoroughly unsure how to react. Connie and Albrecht were busy trying to keep Sasha from stealing from a local bakery; the scent of fresh bread always overtook her sense of logic. Perhaps most surprising of all, he'd found Jansen hiding in a barrel. Aline apparently was still hunting for him. It was a nice night, all things considered. The stars shone brightly in the black sky and he thought of home. His parents would want to know about his graduation as soon as possible. He needed to write them the moment he had some free time tomorrow. There were only a handful of people present when he finally made it to their billet and Josh got right into bed.

He had that dream again. Several times during the night it woke him up and it started up again whenever he went back to sleep. It was different this time though. The field was now covered in swords sticking out of the mud. The rock that the first one was in had split in half. The black clouds were thicker and more present. He ran across the plain towards the small promontory. It seemed urgent that he reach it. When he was finally able to reach the crest of the rise, he froze. Far away under the ebony-grey sky, it looked like a city was burning. The rain had stopped; it felt like he could taste ash on the wind. The flames were so far away, but he could feel the heat on his face. There was the sound of a large explosion in the direction of the city. Then the landscape around him began to shift. The area below the small hill was now covered in blood. Rising like the tide, it raged in a river all around him. Bodies were writhing around in the mire, their features impossible to make out under the coat of vitae. They were crying out something in a language he couldn't understand. Soon, their attentions turned to him. They rose up, climbing the hill, reaching out for him. He wanted to run, to flee the godforsaken place, but he couldn't move. They numbered in the dozens, slogging up to him repeating the same phrase over again. **_"Omnes, qui vivimus, iam inter mortuos."_** It sounded like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The monstrosities pulled at him, dragging him down into the sea of death. He couldn't fight them; he couldn't even scream. Then, right before the sky was lost to his sight, he would wake up in a cold sweat. He was even more confused than before and now he was scared. He went over the parts he could remember again and again, hoping to reach some conclusion about what it all meant. The hours passed him by and even when morning came, he'd made no headway.

"That's a pretty eerie dream Josh. It'd freak me out completely if I had it." Jansen said to him over breakfast.

"So you didn't get any sleep last night at all? You look terrible." Aline actually sounded genuinely concerned for once. Everyone at the table had that worried look on their faces. Whether he really looked that bad after only one night without sleep, or the dream had them feeling just as anxious as he was remained unclear.

"Well, maybe working on the cannons will take your mind off of it?" Christa offered. It probably wouldn't do a lot, but it was about as good of a plan as any.

"Yeah, maybe. Let's just get to it then, I don't want to have to dwell on it anymore than I already have to."

They finished their food and went to the armory. The quintet geared up, strapping their tanks and blades to their hips. As he slid it into his scabbard a strange sense of foreboding was nagging at the back of his mind. It felt like something was coming, something bad. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he knew it had something to do with the dream. He kept thinking about the swords in the field. It had taken some time to notice, but they had all been arrayed in rows and lines, perfect rows and lines. It was like he was lost in a fog and couldn't see anything around him. Why didn't any of it make sense? He walked with his friends down towards the wall. There was no sense in using gas until they needed to scale it anyway. They were closing on the gate when Albrecht stopped dead in his tracks.

"Did you guys just feel that?"

"Feel what?" Aline looked at him dubiously.

"That rumble, or shaking maybe I don't know I just felt a tremor."

"You're imagining things Al, we don't get earthquakes in the southern territories."

"No, he's right, I can feel it too." Christa sounded nervous. "If it's not an earthquake, then what could possibly be causing it?"

A bolt of lightning cracked down from the sky on the other side of the wall. The ground shook violently and they all struggled to keep their balance. It was followed by a massive explosion of light and steam. Everyone was breathless; no one made a sound. Out of the cloud, a face with no skin rose up above the ramparts. Muscle and sinews exposed for all to see. Its eyes were leering down upon the city as steam billowed up around it. Then, there was a great crashing sound. It was like rock being blasted apart with explosives. They all looked at each other; there was fear in everyone's eyes. Jansen had fallen to his knees and was pointing toward the wall. He was shaking.

"Guys, look a…at…th…the…ggg…gate."

"Jans, what do mea…oh my god." Albrecht collapsed, his knees buckling under his weight. The place that had once been the gate to Trost was now just a smoldering pile of rubble. The only thing holding back the titans was nothing more than a memory. "Hey Josh, remember those swords in your dream? I just figured something out. Tell me, what is the one thing usually arranged in lots of straight rows?"

"Alb please, don't say it."

"Headstones…"


	7. Guren No Yumiya

It was like time had stopped. Like they were frozen in this one terrible moment, unable to comprehend what they were all seeing. Aline looked like she was going to throw up. Jansen and Albrecht were in a complete stupor, even Christa was at a loss; her eyes were alive with a primal sense of terror. Josh's mind was repeating the phrase _rows of headstones_ over and over again. Some of the buildings nearest the gate were smoking and on fire. Massive chunks of rock had been scattered for blocks by the force of the blow, crushing anything in their path.

"Is this what happened in Shinganshina? The gate is just gone; that titan kicked through it like it was made of sand." The words dribbled out of Jansen's mouth like he only half knew how to speak them.

"So that's what it looks like…the face of death." Albrecht unsteadily tried to rise.

"This can't be happening. This can't be happening. Someone please tell me this isn't real." Aline was starting to sob. She was clutching at her head, almost ripping out some of her hair.

Josh was biting his lip so hard it was starting to bleed. Two opposite feelings were fighting inside him; a desire to drop his weapons and run, not eager by any stretch to have one of those headstones with his name on it. The other part of him wanted to charge in and take it out, stop this thing before it started. Perhaps if they could organize enough of their fellow cadets, they could engage the titan and bring it down? That was a crazy idea. None of them had ever fought an actual titan, let alone one of such proportions and strength as the Colossal possessed. What possible strategy could they use on something that big?

Most of the group was busying worrying about dying, but one of them had already gone back to worrying about everyone else.

"There's only one squad of cadets up on that part of the wall cleaning the cannons; they won't stand a chance against the Colossal Titan on their own. Guys, we have to go help them; Sasha, and Connie are up there!" Christa sounded on the verge of panic.

"What, are you out of your mind?! There's no way in hell we can fight that thing!" Aline practically screamed.

"She's right, we don't have the skills to drop it. We're fresh out of training; even the veterans would have a hard time dealing with it." Albrecht was doing his best to approach the situation logically under the circumstances. He half stammered the words.

"Well, I'm not going to let our friends die up there! I'm going to go help, even if I have to go alone." Christa launched herself up onto the nearest roof and took off toward the wall.

"Christa, wait!" Josh called after her. He swore under his breath and let out a heavy sigh. Fear was settling in every single one of his bones. It was trying to weigh him down; it was an effort just to move his arms. Inside of him, frustration and anger was rising to a boiling point. He felt like kicking himself. Is this who he was going to be when it came down to brass tacks? Was he going to hide in the rear while his comrades died doing their duty? What kind of man did that make him? He had no right to call himself a soldier if he turned tail at the first sign of danger. On top of that, he let Christa run headlong into battle all alone. Forget being a terrible soldier; that just made him a terrible friend and an asshole. That was much worse. He ground his teeth together and clenched his fists. "Aw hell, screw it. None of my friends are going into combat worrying if I have their back or not." Josh unsheathed his swords and took off in pursuit, leaving his three friends in his wake. A couple seconds of mulling it over was all it took for them to make their decisions. Two out of five going into their first battle wouldn't look very good on their record; especially if they just stood here like halfwits the whole time.

"He's right." Jansen collected himself and rose. "We spent three years training for this; we all knew someday that we would have to face the enemy. So that day is finally here and I'll be damned if the Blades of Karanese become synonymous with the word cowardice. It's time to pull steel and cut a few necks. Besides, living forever never sounded all that glamorous to me." There was a sharp rasp as he drew two fresh blades, running his finger across the edge to make sure they were sharp.

"Well, there's no way I'm going to let you and Kassy show me up. Boys will start thinking I'm nothing more than a pretty face if I just sit at the back when the fireworks start." Aline shook herself off and reestablished her composure. Her ego didn't take long to follow suit. "I bet if I can take down that titan, boys will be lining up around the block to date me. Guys think there's nothing hotter than a girl who knows how to use a weapon."

"In all seriousness, I hope the titan manages to eat your personality." Albrecht rubbed his eyes and straightened himself, pushing down his apprehension. "104th Cadet Corps, squad 7, load up and move out! We link up with other squads and engage the Colossal Titan, **WIR SIND DIE JAGER!"**

A couple blocks ahead, Josh was racing to keep up with Christa. She was about five houses ahead of him, running from rooftop to rooftop. She was getting a lot closer to the wall. He looked up; the titan was still casting its' awful gaze down upon the city. On the side of the battlements, a handful of soldiers were hanging on with their grappling hooks. It had to be Connie and Sasha's squad. They must have been knocked off of the wall by the explosion. At least it looked like everyone was still alive. He thought he could hear someone yelling up there; it kind of sounded like Eren. It must have been Eren, because someone was swinging themselves up the wall back to the cannon emplacements. What was he hoping to accomplish on his own? He couldn't fight the Colossal Titan all by himself, even if he thought otherwise.

Christa was reaching the end of the housing blocks and starting up the wall. Josh sped up, hoping to close the distance. He admired her courage and desire to help others. Few people possessed it in the quantities she did, but she was being a bit reckless it seemed to him. Hopefully the monster was distracted by Eren once she got up to the top, or she'd be in big trouble. The thought only served to hasten his upward advance. After he caught up with Christa, he'd have to use his gas a bit more sparingly. He'd need all the fuel he could muster if they were going to fight this thing.

He gripped the triggers tightly, flinging himself up onto the ramparts just after Christa had disappeared from his view.

"Christa, damn it, wait up!" She was running towards the Colossal Titan at full bore. He sheathed his blades and sprinted after her. Up close, their quarry seemed impossibly large. Josh could see Eren, poised to attack the beast. Even just next to its' head, he seemed as nothing but an insect. So far, this was the scariest moment of Josh's life. They needed at least something akin to a plan if they wanted to win this. Eren could rush in without thinking, but Josh wouldn't let Christa or himself wind up in boxes like that suicidal maniac.

"Stop for God's sake! Hang on a minute!" Josh caught her by the arm, halting her charge. She tried to push past him, undeterred. He planted himself in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "We can't just bum rush this one. This is the largest titan in existence; we'll get eaten or crushed if we go about this like Eren is going to! Not to mention that we've never even faced a normal titan in combat!"

"We need to buy some time for the rest of the squad to regroup. If we can distract it long enough for everyone else to get organized, we stand a chance of beating it."

"We should hold off engaging it entirely at least until Alb, Jans, and Aline show up."

"Remember what we were taught in history class? The last time the Colossal Titan attacked, it stayed just long enough to kick in the gate for the other titans. If we wait until they're all here, it could be long gone. We'd miss our best shot at leveling the playing field for a while. I don't remember Joshua Kassmeyer being the kind of guy who backs down from a challenge, no matter how tough it looks."

Christa was staring him down with those enormous eyes of hers. They didn't have anger in them like a normal person's would; they had worry. They were pleading for his help. He hated himself for having to be talked into doing his job, but she had a point. The Colossal Titan was the reason the Wall Maria had fallen in the first place. As he'd said, it was the biggest titan in existence. If the enemy could formulate battle strategies, this would be their ace in the hole. If they allowed it to escape this time around, there was no telling when they'd get another chance to kill it. If he didn't go with her, she'd undoubtedly go alone. He couldn't sleep at night knowing that he'd let Christa, and everyone else down like that.

He sighed heavily and pulled his weapons again. "Alright, let's do this. We just need to keep it interested so it stays put for a bit longer. No unnecessary risks. If Eren has a death wish, that's on him; but neither you nor I are going down today."

"There's the Kassy I know and love." She smiled and clapped him on the back with the hilt of her sword.

"Just don't rush off alone like that next time. You made the top ten, but even the best of us don't win battles on their own." Josh looked up at Christa as he said it; her eyes were growing impossibly wide. He could feel a rush of air coming behind him and he tensed.

"Josh move!" She screamed and threw him sideways off of the battlements.

"Christa what the hell?!" he looked back just in time to see the titan's arm sweep across the top of the wall, taking the guns and a swathe of masonry with it. The whole thing had missed her by a handful of feet. She was a guardian angel if ever there was one, always looking out for him and everyone else in the 104th. They had to quickly fire their grappling hooks to stop their free fall. They found purchase and the two of them skidded to halt as a cascading rain of iron and stone fell past them to the earth below.

"It just took out every cannon guarding the gate. When the titans show up in numbers, we won't be able to stop them." Christa grimaced.

"Wait a minute, first it blows a hole through the gate and then it destroys our primary means of defending it? Do you…do you think that he planned this? Oh God what if this one has intelligence?!" That was a terrifying thought. Titans were bad enough if they were just stupid and hungry. If one of them was capable of tactical decision making, they were definitely screwed.

"Then that's probably all the more reason to take it out now. We can't delay any longer or it'll be gone. We have to end this."

Josh nodded and they scaled the wall again, blades at the ready. When they landed, they were already running, furiously trying to close the gap. They could see Eren flying around behind it; he was trying to get a bead on its' weak spot. It didn't seem to be trying too hard to stop him, but at least it was distracted from their approach. The window of opportunity wouldn't be open long; so they went right through it.

Josh Shot his cable into the left side and Christa shot hers into the right. From there they could swing down behind the legs. If they took out its' knees, Eren would have a much easier time striking at its' neck. Well, that was the hope anyway, considering neither of them had a chance to speak to Eren about it. If they were lucky, he would have seen them coming in and picked up on the plan. If he hadn't, they were making most of this up as they went anyhow. The two of them launched into the air and downward. Josh savored the adrenaline rush and the feeling of weightlessness as he sprang into the nothingness. He and Christa swung around in a wide arc, like they had done so many times during training. They'd have to time it perfectly; there would be no time or way to come back around for a second strike. They were roughly parallel to one another as they gunned it across the gap. The closer to the objective they came, the more Josh felt his fear ebbing away into determination. This was what they had spent three years training for. Every moment had led up to this. Here he was, just some raw recruit from Karanese, poised to help bring down the single greatest threat to humanity his first time in combat. If this worked, when his books were published they would fly off of the shelves. A book written by one of the three Colossal Titan slayers would sell thousands of copies. That would be just based on reputation alone. Now that he was pondering it, war hero sounded like a nice addition to his resume. They might even give him a medal for valor.

He stopped his train of thought. _"Oh dear lord, I can't believe it; I'm turning into Jansen! Next thing I know, I'll be hitting on every girl I see and giving lame ass speeches. I gotta kill this line of thinking before it becomes a cancer."_ He was amused to find that the idea of being so similar to one of his best friends genuinely horrified him, almost to the point of nightmares. Still, it might make for a good joke. He'd have to tell everyone else about it later; it would be funny to see Jansen's reaction to the idea.

Josh shook himself back to reality quickly; he was doing it again. He couldn't have his mind wandering at a moment like this. No more daydreaming like he used to in training. This time lives were on the line. All his focus needed to be squarely on the task at hand. He pulled his triggers tight and flung himself around the titan's back. Christa was doing the same and she gave him a determined nod. At the same time, their free hooks fired, lodging themselves into the joints behind its' knees. Blades poised for the strike, they readied themselves for when they would make contact. Josh drew back, nearly within range. Then something shifted in the course of events. The titan must have realized what was happening, because it began spewing a wave of steam out from all over its' body. It hit Christa and himself like a gale force wind, slowly pushing them back in spite of their anchors. The ember filled gas obscured their vision, scorched their faces, and burned their lungs when they took a breath.

"Son of a bitch, he must be trying to knock us loose!" Josh was trying to keep his balance.

"We have to gun it! I'm not sure how much of this my cables can manage!" Christa's voice was barely audible over the roar of the steam. She clutched her release as tight as she could; she hoped that Josh was doing the same.

She didn't have to tell him twice, he was already moving, his thoughts filled with malice. _"Nice try, but you're not getting off that easy this time. You're going to reap what you've sown you bastard."_ He grunted and let out a triumphal shout as he swung his blades. He was startled when he felt them bite nothing but the cloud in front of him.

The last bit of the wind blew some of the murk away. Josh coughed and gagged, choking on his own surprise. There was nothing in front of him; the titan was gone. A short distance away, he saw Christa emerge, appearing equally shocked and bewildered. They reattached themselves to the wall, desperately needing to get their bearings. The two of them took a moment to gather their thoughts and catch their breath.

"Please tell me that didn't just happen."

"Josh, I'm not entirely sure how to answer that. I don't really understand what I just saw."

"There's no way it could just vanish into thin air like that right? Titans can't do that can they?" He was trying to keep from sounding freaked out.

"Well what other explanation do we have? It's not like it could've snuck past us. Maybe Eren knows what happened; he had a better view of things as high up as he was."

"Josh, Christa, are you guys okay?!" a voice called out from above them, it was Albrecht. Aline and Jansen were flanking him. They all had the same freaked out look on their faces. Josh and Christa wasted no time rejoining their squad mates on top of the wall.

"Did you guys see anything?" Christa inquired anxiously.

"We got here just as the titan started shooting that steam everywhere. It nearly blew us off the bulwark before it started clearing. It's unbelievable what happened. The thing pulled a damn magic act, it's just gone." Aline was annoyed and apprehensive. "I can't believe we were outwitted by a titan of all things."

"Don't be so surprised, I think this one planned the attack. It was probably breaching our walls so that the other titans can get in."

"That's ridiculous; they don't have anything resembling intellect."

"Kassy and I thought so too, but this one is different. Both times, it has shown up when we were least expecting such an attack. Both times, we were completely off our guard. It's almost like it knew exactly when to hit us."

"So now they can strategize? Oh that's just perfect; and on top of that he can make himself disappear?!" Jansen kicked a piece of debris and roared in frustration.

"We were so close. If we'd have killed him, it would have been a major victory, maybe even a turning point in the war." Josh swore and raked his fingernails down the sides of his face.

"Now there's a massive breach in our defenses and the first waves of titans might show up at any time. We need to consolidate our forces and hold the gate as long as we can." Albrecht was already putting together a battle plan. He was starting to lay out some preliminary details when a sergeant from the Garrison Regiment arrived.

"Cadets, report, what is your unit?" The woman landed in front of them and they all rendered a crisp salute.

"Ma'am, 104th Cadet Corps, Squad Seven, we were assigned here for artillery maintenance and were reporting for duty when the titan struck the fortifications." Albrecht spoke as clearly and loudly as he could without yelling.

"Did any of you manage to engage the enemy before it disappeared?"

"Yes ma'am, we did. I am Cadet Joshua Kassy…Kassmeyer and I, along with Cadet Christa Lenz, were momentarily involved in combat with the Colossal Titan." Had **he** just almost called **himself** Kassy?

"Your squad needs to report for debriefing immediately. We need all of the details you can provide on the encounter. That said, Operation: Colossal Titan Response is going into effect. I know you may be a little shaken up, but you are expected to take part. It won't be long before the enemy arrives in force and we need to get all of the civilians out of the city as quickly as possible. Our advance team will hold them here as long as we can; after that it's up to you and the Vanguard. Godspeed recruits."

"Yes ma'am!" All five of them shouted as she ran off to join the defensive line being established. They all looked at each other nervously. None of them wanted to imagine what might be in store for everyone that day. How many soldiers did they have to hold Trost, a few hundred maybe? That was including all 218 of the cadets. Who among them wasn't going to make it back alive? Training can prepare you for a lot of things, but how many titans would show up? Could be anywhere from a handful to a hundred or more undoubtedly. If that was the case they'd need a miracle of some kind or a super weapon. Since neither of those things seemed likely, did they really have enough people to hold the city; or would they have to abandon it like they had all of the outlier districts of Wall Maria? They couldn't think about that right now, defeatism would only serve to undermine what chances they had of success. Right now, they needed to get back to the citadel and join with the rest of their company.

Inside the supply depot, officers were shouting orders and words of heroism as cadets ran around, stocking up on blades and filling their tanks to the brim. At least their training was setting in, but how long would their compulsion override their fraying nerves when the limbs started flying? Josh had stocked his tanks and made sure all of his blades were good and sharp. He took stock of the events about to unfold around him. His fear had returned to him since the failed assault on the Colossal Titan only a couple of hours before. It felt more like it had been several days. He had had a lot to think about in those last couple of hours, a lot that wanted to say and not a lot of time to say it in. He sat down on a box and drew his journal from his pocket. There was only one page left unfilled. His withdrew a stick of graphite and began to pen a few words.

He repeated them in his head as he wrote. _"Dear Mother and Father, I graduated from training yesterday. Can you believe that it's been three years already? I almost feel old just thinking about it. Dad, you would be so proud of me. I filled up every single page of this journal with stories and stuff for my books…this is the last page. We're all going into action against the titans for the first time today. The gate to Trost has been destroyed and soon they'll be in the city, possibly as I'm writing this. Myself, Aline, Jansen, Albrecht, and our friend Christa are in a squad together, so I'll be deploying with them. I must confess that I do not know what today holds for me or any of us. So, it is with extreme reluctance that I do this. I am writing this letter to you in case I don't come back. I've done a lot of growing up in these past couple of years. I've done things I could never have imagined; I've made lots of wonderful friends, I even fell in love with a girl. She's amazing mom and I'd love for you to meet her someday. I wrote a lot about her in my journal, almost a whole book's worth. Just don't tell her that I did, she's easily embarrassed, and has a bit of a temper, but she's a sweet girl and I love her more than anything. Her name is Annie Leonhardt. So…if I am to perish on the field of battle today, I want you to…I want you to know that I love you both so much and that I have no doubts about the cause for which I may be about to lay down my life for. If my death helps us have a brighter future…then…I…gla…gladly…"_ His hands shook and tears stung his eyes, falling to the paper and smudging the occasional word. He was trying not to sob and bit his knuckle so no one would hear him. _"I can't, damn it I just can't do it! I have to write this for them; I owe them both at least that much, but…I can't do it."_ He set the notebook down and put his head in his hands, tears now freely flowing down his cheeks. He heard footsteps approaching him.

"Kassy, are you crying? What's wrong?" it was Christa.

"No…nothing, I just um, I'm just kind of emotional rig…right now is all."

"What is that you're writing in your journal?" She scooped it up from beside him.

"No Christa, please don't read that!"

Her eyes were getting all big again and she almost looked like she was going to cry too. "No way, nuh uh mister, you are not pulling this on me, not today! I don't ever want to see a single thing like this on a page you write ever again!" She tore the page out and wadded it up.

"Christa seriously come on, I was writing that for my parents! I need to do at least that much for them!" He was trying to protest, but it was proving difficult. He'd never seen her mad or upset like this before; he wasn't even aware that it was a possibility for her.

"You're talking like you're already dead and gone! What good is that going to do anyone?! No offense, but what's the matter with you?! You're not allowed to just give up like that. I won't let you and neither will the rest of the squad. Aside from that, Annie will beat the ever living crap out of you if she sees you writing stuff like this, it would crush her. That's pretty selfish of you if you ask me…again Kassy I don't mean to sound rude or offensive."

Josh grabbed Christa and hugged her, not caring if she saw him cry anymore. "Christa, I…I'm just really scared. I'm terrified right now. Regardless of how the battle ends, a lot of people are going to die today. What if we don't make it back?!"

"It's okay to be scared, I'm scared too; we're all scared. This is our baptism of fire and it's not going to be easy. We can't think about it like that though, there are people who will be counting on us to get this done. We can do it if we have faith in each other as a team. If we do that, we'll make it, we will win. Come on, I've seen you overcome your fears once today already. We took on the biggest titan alive; that was something wasn't it? Think about telling that story to your kids someday. Tell them about how you stood your ground and advanced when nobody else had the guts to. You can do this, I know you can. The Blades of Karanese need their assault team today, are you with me?"

Josh was stunned for a moment. That was literally the best motivational speech he'd ever heard. A number of others in the vicinity had taken notice as well. The room was already taking on a more positive energy. He couldn't help himself from laughing a little bit.

"I'm seriously waiting for wings to sprout from your back and a halo to appear above your head. If you're not giving me advice, you're saving my life. I have no idea what we'd do without you. I swear you do more for morale than someone could by slaying twenty titans single handedly and you'd probably have to be the size of a titan to do that."

"I never really think of it as anything special; I'm just being myself." She smiled that big smile of hers and Josh swore he saw a couple of guys get weak in the knees for a second. She had that funny way of accidentally winning the heart of every man who looked her way it felt like. "We need to get formed up with the rest of the company in the courtyard. They're going to brief us on the operation plan. We'll have fifteen minutes after that before we deploy. When you get those fifteen minutes, go find Annie and talk to her real quick. This is a huge day and I think you both could use something to ease your nerves a bit."

In a quiet corner of the supply room, Albrecht Johannes wished he could do something about his own nerves.

Outside, every single one of them was arrayed before Captain Woerman and his staff, ready and waiting for orders.

"I want everyone split into four squadrons as practiced! All squadrons are responsible for supply running, message relay, and enemy combat under the command of the Garrison Regiment! The intercept squadron will be taking the Vanguard. Cadets will take the Middle Guard led by the support squad! Rear Guard will go to the Elites. I expect you all to man your posts knowing that the Advance Team has been wiped out!" Everyone collectively gasped in shock. That had been an experienced team of dozens of Garrison Regiment veterans. If they were all dead already, this was going to be an even tougher fight than anticipated.

"You heard correctly cadets, the outer gate is history; the titans are in! This likely means that the Armored Titan will reappear at some point! If and when he does, the inner gate will also be history!" There were scared murmurings throughout the ranks. The possibility that Wall Rose might fall to the titans was unthinkable. If that happened, they could kiss the human race goodbye. The captain shouted for quiet and continued his speech. Christa had been right about one thing at least. Everyone was scared, Woerman looking almost especially so. Having to organize such an operation like this was no doubt stressful even under ideal circumstances.

"Those in the Vanguard have to be ready. The area is now well saturated with the enemy! Your objective is a very simple one; defend the wall until the evacuation of Trost's civilians is completed! Now, let me remind you all that desertion is punishable by execution! If it comes to it, you must lay down your lives! You are dismissed!"

"Sir!" The cadre rendered the salute before dispersing into their squads. A good number of them were busy trying to shake themselves out of being terrified half to death. Christa was trying to comfort someone who was throwing up. Josh couldn't think of the guy's name. He tried not to think about how many he may not have the chance to learn after today. He had to focus on finding Annie; there wasn't a lot of time. He passed by Jean and Eren, they were fighting again. Josh was surprised by the motivational speech the Eren was cranking out, and so was Jean by the look of it. A bunch of the more frightened cadets managed to get to listen in on it. This kind of stuff was good for morale. They needed as much of that as they could find right now. If all of them could muster their courage for this fight, maybe they'd have enough people to celebrate with afterwards.

It had been five minutes so far and Josh was getting more frantic to find Annie with the clock counting down like it was. He called out to her a couple of times, running around the courtyard before he was pulled into a dimly lit hallway. He was surprised for a moment. A hand was clapped over his mouth. He was trying to speak through the hand when the assailant raised their head. There was a flash of blue eyes in the gloom, and Josh pushed the hand away before grabbing the person's face and kissing deeply.

"I guess I didn't scare you too much then huh?" Annie laughed quietly.

"I haven't seen you really since yesterday morning and I really needed to do that. It's a pretty good hiding spot, but how'd you know I'd come over here?"

"A girl has her ways; I knew you'd come running by eventually though."

"Sure, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're not really worried. The only thing that seems to faze you is being caught in public with me, ha-ha."

"Oh shut up, you know it's not like that. You just love doing stuff that makes me feel all girly and embarrassed. It'd be awkward on a level I can't imagine if everyone saw the side of me that you see all the time. Besides, who said I wasn't worried? Maybe I'm just doing a good job of hiding it."

"I know, you've always been good at keeping it behind that implacable and adorable façade of yours." He sighed and held her waist. "This is a big day. I know there's going to be a lot of graves to dig at the end of it and I needed to see you at the very least before I went out."

"I was hoping to avoid this kind of thing honestly. That was part of my plan with joining the MP Regiment, just going to live the quiet life and be a normal girl. I think most of us were hoping we'd never have to see a titan, let alone fight one. I'm glad you came though. Seeing you is definitely going to help me get through all of this. Well it will when I'm not worrying about you." She hugged him tightly, her head against his chest.

"You don't need to worry about me, no way in hell I'm not coming back for you. Christa actually told me that I may be able to make a request to be garrisoned in the city where your MP squadron is based. If that works out, we may not be living together, but we'll still be able to see one another when we're off duty."

"I would like that, but don't tell me not to worry Josh. I don't ever spend energy worrying about anyone so you're special in that regard. It's going to be crazy out there today just make sure you watch yourself; I won't be there to have your back so I'm just trying to keep all of the what ifs out of my head."

"I've got a great team out there always keeping me covered, I'll be fine, I promise. Just focus on keeping yourself safe for me okay?"

"I'm the last person that has anything to worry about when it comes to fighting; you know that probably better than anyone. For you though, just in case you need a little extra luck out there…" She pushed him up against the wall and gave him a smile. She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him passionately. It was almost like reliving that first surprise kiss from her all over again. She was good at this in a way that almost startled him. He'd describe her the way Shadis would have describe a skilled soldier, as someone with heaps of native talent.

"How much time do we have?" Josh pulled her against him again.

"We have probably five minutes before we have to get out there."

"I can do a lot in five minutes you know." Josh gave her a smile and she winked at him. Those blue diamond eyes full of mischief and longing. They kissed each other at the same time. Even in the cool darkness of the hallway, it was beginning to feel rather hot. She danced her fingers up his spine, making him breathe shakily and bite his lip as they made exchanges in a wordless conversation. His hands were running up and down her sides, experiencing the subtle curves of her abdomen and hips. Her breathing was heavy and each exhalation hung heavy in the air like a lasting dream. Josh wished they had more time to say good luck to each other. Even so, he felt like these were the best five minutes of his life. She stood on tip toe and gently ran her lips down his neck; she knew his weak spots well after all the time they'd spent together. That also meant that he knew hers. He pressed two of his fingers along the bottom of her stomach, just on the edge of her belt line and smirked when she failed to conceal a soft moan.

"Damn it Kassy, stop that. We…we do…don't have time to get too crazy right now." Her breaths were shallow like his had been only seconds before.

"Sorry, but you kissed my neck, and you know what that does to me."

"Not my fault you're so sensitive."

"Teasing each other right before we go into battle is kind of mean isn't it?" He suppressed a laugh.

"I'm just helping to calm your nerves, positive thoughts and the like." The two of them carried on with their passionate exchange, even as someone came into the corridor.

"Josh! Come on we have to go; it's show time!" Aline came running around the corner, having heard the sound of her friend's voice on her way by. She took one look at them and groaned in annoyance. "Oh my God really? Get a room you two."

"This was working just fine until you just barged in." Annie said, still half engrossed in kissing Josh.

"Sorry to steal him away like this, but we all have orders to carry out. I'll try to bring him back in one or two pieces." She started pulling Josh away.

"I love you; stay safe like I asked alright?"

"I told you not to worry about me; if anything comes up, I can take care of it. I love you too." She straightened and hurried off to join her own squad.

Aline looked at Josh and rolled her eyes. "Doing that in public? For God's sake Josh have some decency will you?"

"Hey we're soldiers; there isn't always a proper place to take care of things when you're heading out into the field. Besides, if I recall, you're the last person to be telling anyone about decency."

"Normally, I'd knock you on your ass for saying something like that, but since we're going to need you for this I have to let it go. That aside, we should hurry, Jansen is chomping at the bit to get out there. Speaking of which, I guess we'll see if he turns into the war hero he always wanted to be huh?"

"Should be an interesting show either way." Just outside of the court yard, the other members of Squad Seven were waiting for them. As Aline had just pointed out, Jansen was practically wearing a hole in the ground.

"Sorry we took so long; I found him playing tongue tag with you know who."

"I hope you got that out of your system man, because we need all your focus right now. It's time to get some cutting done." Albrecht looked back at him, almost jealous that Josh had something to take his mind off of things.

"I'm eager for some payback after what happened at the wall. None of these will be the Colossal, but it's a good enough place to start." Christa smiled encouragingly. As they exited the building, they came out looking over the city towards the wall. Smoke was rising from a number of buildings and in the distance sporadic cannon fire was booming. The sky was pock marked by the rising black funnels and the clouds rolled around above them. Off to the east, black clouds were just barely visible on the horizon. A summer rain was coming to baptize the newly minted soldiers as they were thrust into the crucible.

Jansen smiled and took a deep breath as he drew his blades. The scent of brimstone and iron invigorated him. "It's such a lovely day isn't it?" He spoke as if there was nothing particularly special about it, but there was no mistaking his excitement. He stood at the fore of the group, relishing the weight of the weaponry in his hands. Jansen made a half turn towards his friends. "So boys and girls, what do you say we go and have ourselves a war?"


	8. Blood and Thunder

Trost was burning. The titan onslaught was gaining ground by the minute; slowly grinding down the defenders. Cannons had stopped firing. That meant that either they'd been destroyed, or that the gun crews were dead. In all honesty, it was probably both. With any heavy support they had out of commission, the Vanguard was most likely being massacred out there. Soon, the cadets would be called in to support what remained. No matter what happened out here, they had to hold the line so the civilians could evacuate. This was a tense moment for every one of them. They all stood up on a roof top in the middle of town. Squad Seven waited anxiously for the order to advance. The waiting for the go ahead was bothering them more than the idea of combat itself. Just sitting there like that gave someone the opportunity to think. Your mind had the tendency to start wandering to the darkest of places and it broke down your resolve. A soldier could ponder all of the terrible what ifs that managed to assail their mind in the moments leading up to a battle. The five of them were trying to keep their heads clear, breaking down now would get them all killed. Nonetheless, the wait was wearing on their nerves.

"Why can't they just have us move up already? Standing here isn't doing us or them any good." Jansen was chomping at the bit to use his swords.

"Maybe they've already sent a runner and we're just waiting for them to show up? It's obvious that the battle isn't going in our favor so that's the only reason I can think of that we wouldn't have orders yet." Josh wasn't near as eager to get stuck in, but staying in one place like this was a bit unnerving. He tried to occupy himself by pacing around.

"The way things are looking at the moment, that runner will be coming from the rear. Anyone that they could have sent from the Vanguard is probably too wrapped up in trying to engage titans. Either that or they're dead." Albrecht didn't like this at all. If messages couldn't be relayed between units, the operation would start falling apart. There would be confusion and the plan would go out the window. He was trying to think of a battle strategy that they could implement in the absence of orders. There wasn't a great deal of time to hash one out and that made him feel uneasy. What if the operation had shifted and they were left out in the wind all alone? His thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like screaming, the most blood curdling screaming he'd ever heard. It almost didn't sound human.

"That sounds awfully close guys." Christa straightened up.

"God, I wonder what's happening over there?" Aline played with her hilts nervously.

"If we can hear them that well, then they're probably close enough for us to help them out. Maybe they know what's going on. Sitting here with our thumbs in our asses isn't helping anyone like Jansen said. Be ready for combat, let's go!" Albrecht gave the signal for everyone to move out and they took off across the roof tops, jumping from building to building to conserve fuel. They ran as fast as they were able, trying to keep from slipping and falling. Everyone was wondering what they were going to find, even if nobody voiced the idea. Regardless of what awaited them, they needed to be ready, scared or not. Three blocks over, they came upon the source of the cries.

"I think I know why we haven't gotten orders yet guys." Jansen could feel bile rising in his stomach with anger following close behind it. Josh was dry heaving intermittently. Aline was trying to cover her eyes, but found she was unable to tear them away from the scene unfolding below them.

Down below them on the street, two seven meter titans were eating what remained of a squad of garrison troopers. Body parts and entrails were scattered about as the creatures took bites out of legs, torsos, and heads. The two of them fed upon their prey with gusto. The screams of the dying had either been silenced or devolved into nothing more than bloody gurgling.

"My God, the bastards are just eating them like they're nothing more than big sausages." Josh said in between gags. It was a horrendous sight, not to mention the smell of it all.

"If they made it this far into town, does that mean that the Vanguard has been wiped out too?" Christa's voice had an unmistakable tinge of fear in it.

"Yeah, probably. These guys might be all that's left." Aline watched as a titan snapped the spine of a screaming Garrison trooper before biting him in half. "I can't believe these…things do this to us for no reason. What the hell is wrong with them?!" She was almost shouting, sounding scared and angry at the same time.

"Take a good look ladies and gentlemen." Albrecht looked somber. "This is the reality of our situation. We are finally seeing the reason that we have to put on this uniform in the morning. The regiments exist because these monsters come and feed on us for their sick pleasures. Three years of training and preparing, and now we've seen firsthand what they do to human beings. Collect yourselves as best you can, we have to kill these ones while they're distracted or they'll be coming after us in a minute."

"We're using this as a distraction? They're eating people alive over there!" Josh wasn't the only one who realized how horrible it sounded.

"We have to; we won't be able to get the drop on them if they aren't busy stuffing their faces."

"I hate it too, but this is the hand we've been dealt. Maybe we can still save some lives if we act now. Right, split into teams then?" Christa was readying her weapons.

"Yes, you and Josh take the one on the left. Aline and I will take the one on the right. Jansen, you hold back and check for survivors down below."

"Hey wait a minute. I've been waiting for this opportunity my entire life. Josh and Christa got to face down the Colossal Titan this morning; how come I'm the one getting left out of this fight?" Jansen had straightened up rather quickly to voice his annoyance.

"Seriously, you're going to pull this right now? It's not like these are the only two titans in Trost. I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to bloody your blades today."

"This is really not the time for bickering you guys." Aline was nervously glancing at their quarry.

"If I'm joining the Scout Regiment I'll need as much experience as I can before I go out beyond the walls. The more I titan kills I have under my belt by then, the better."

"So what are we supposed to do? Would you like us to let you fight them all on your own? You're sounding an awful lot like Eren does right now. That kind of braggadocios attitude is the kind of thing that will get people killed out here. I'm the squad leader and I'm not letting any of us die today." He had no idea if he could deliver on that, but it might boost morale a bit.

"Alb, come on you of all people know how much this means to me, how long I've been dreaming of this moment. I'm not going to let you put me on the bench today."

He let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, you can go with Aline in my place. Heaven knows why you can't wait a little bit longer, but get your glory hounding under wraps right now. I won't have your personal ambitions putting any of us at risk. Training was one thing, but this is the real world; we're not playing with wooden cutouts anymore."

"That's the point, I'm tired of pretending. I'm ready for the real deal."

"Don't worry Alb; I'll keep him in line. If he acts out at all I'll make sure he gets a swift kick in the balls to straighten him out."

"If you can keep up with me maybe you can try."

"I hate to break up this lively discussion, but we're wasting time. We could've had this done in half the time you two have been arguing about it. Plus, I don't think the enemy will wait around for us to finish talking." Josh was talking more out of anxiety than of actual irritation. The big titan may not have tried to eat him or Christa this morning, but he doubted these two would be so well mannered. This was all a bit much to wrap your head around in one go. They hadn't exactly had any preparation for seeing people get eaten alive. Then again, can you really be prepared to see something like that? Seeing it was a hell of a lot different than hearing stories about it. Jansen seemed to be the only one among them not shaking. It was evident that even Alb, as stoic as he was appearing, had a sense of terror swimming just beneath the surface of his composure. How he was able to mask it so well was beyond him. Perhaps it took his focus away from the fear when he had to hold his position of command? A lot is riding on you when you're in charge after all. None of them had any idea how close Albrecht was to cracking under the weight of his own fear and anxiety.

Despite that, he was good at keeping a lid on his own issues in front of everyone else. "That's a fair enough point. We need to keep a handle on personal issues until we have the luxury of time. We're soldiers and we have a job to do. Our comrades have been laying down their lives too much already today. Let's get this done so we can move on and connect with anyone who can tell us what's happening. We have to mount the most effective resistance possible. **WIR SIND DIE JAGER!**" Albrecht gave them the signal to engage. That battle cry of theirs was becoming more and more common.

Jansen was almost off the roof before Alb had finished talking, almost leaving Aline behind entirely. Josh and Christa had opted for a two point maneuver, a strike at the ankles followed closely by crossing around and cleaving out the nape of the neck. The idea was to make this quick and clean, but disabling the enemy first would increase their chances of escaping unscathed. With that in mind, the duo swung downwards simultaneously; their weapons found their mark with ease. Steel met flesh and tore muscles, severing the Achilles tendon on both ankles in a single instant. The creature howled and fell forward into the building, its' legs now next to useless. The weak spot was wide open for butchering. They didn't waste a second. The latched onto the shoulder blades and drove their swords deep into the neck, pushing all the way to the hilt.

Both their hearts were racing, adrenaline coursing through their veins, blotting out fear for the time being. Anger filled the vacancy that it had left. It wasn't clear whether it was directed at the titans or if it was some primal sense of bloodlust. Either way, it was a good emotion to funnel into the task at hand. After all, the foe still needed reaping.

"This is for all of the coffins you filled today you bastard." Josh grimaced and nodded at Christa; she returned the gesture, noticing the destination of his train of thought. They tightened their grip on their weapons and rooted themselves into their stances. With all of the strength available to them, they pulled the blades in opposite directions, carving through sinew and bone. They locked their ODM gear to new points and pushed off. With the extra aid offered by their rigs, the nape was annihilated and the head was ripped clean off. The body slumped to the street below.

Jansen was speeding across the avenue, lengths ahead of Aline. He swung himself in a semi-circle around the titan, looking for the best position from which to launch his assault. He had a bit of madness coloring his eyes. This was the moment of truth. He saw his opening and stuck his grapple into the upper part of its' back, his grip tightening on the trigger to pull him in.

"Jansen, wait a minute! We need to try and cripple it first! If we don't there's a good chance…oh son of bitch!" Aline changed course quickly. The titan had taken notice of Jansen's hook embedding into its' skin and was starting to turn. He tried to disengage, but his momentum was pulling him forward too fast for him to alter his attack vector. He swore under his breath as he wracked his brain for options, finding none. Braking would only give the titan more time to react and grab him and pulling out was no longer a viable route to take. A hideous maw began to open, as if already certain of an impending meal. Jansen had screwed up and he knew it. This could easily become his last action in the next few seconds. So, what does a man do when faced with certain death? He improvises of course.

Jansen took a deep breath and secured his grapples into a chimney just beyond the titan's head. There would barely be one shot at this. He clinched the accelerator as tightly as he dared and his boots struck hard against the titan's face, missing the mouth by inches. He shot himself into the air and over it's' head, where the roof lay before him. Bracing himself for a hard impact, he tucked and rolled onto the roof, cracking a number of shingles once he made contact. He tried his best to ignore the flare of pain rising in his knees. He rose and turned to face his opponent once again, its' unwavering expression meeting his own piercing gaze. Its' arm reached out to grab him. The beast was intent on fulfilling its' ravenous appetite.

"Not today you freak, the Blades of Karanese only come out to slice the meat." He sprung himself up with all of the force he could muster and got above the oncoming grip. With a deep roar, Jansen sliced downwards, severing the hand at the wrist. The sudden absence of a hand seemed to confuse the creature, distracting it from Jansen entirely for a moment. They had to take advantage of this moment, even if it meant sacrificing his first kill. "Aline, take the shot! Kill it now!" She was already ahead of him, seizing the opportunity with vigor. She swung her swords in an X pattern, biting into the flesh with the edge of each blade and driving them deep as she continued her arc. As they made their exit wounds, she was rewarded with a spray of steaming ichor when the nape broke free. The titan screamed and fell into the building, dead.

Aline landed in front of Jansen, the blood evaporating off of her uniform. "That was really reckless. You ran off and tried to attack the titan by yourself and it almost got you killed. Half of a foot short on that run of yours and it would've bitten your leg off. Sure, we downed this one, but we got lucky. You can't take these on without your comrades to back you up and we can't count on them being as slow witted as that one was."

"You should be a little more grateful seriously. I let you have a kill that should've been mine. Another thing, don't start lecturing me about risk taking when you plan on spending your whole career hiding behind these walls. As long as the titan is dead, how we got there doesn't matter. We're both fine so get off of my back." The remark wounded Aline a little more than she wanted to show. Jansen had a fire lit under him and his arrogance was simmering to the top. She wondered where the outburst had come from. He'd never snapped at any of them like that before. Was this who he really was going to be when the fighting started?

Josh and Christa stood across from each other, their own quarry disintegrating beneath them. Their breathing was heavy and labored.

"Not bad for our first one I'd say." Josh panted. "Maybe a bit dramatic, but it was a little easier than I was anticipating." A feeling of relief was starting to settle over him.

"We caught these ones by surprise; it won't be this easy all of the time. This was a lucky break for us." Christa sighed and looked at the carnage on the street. "I hate to say that was because those Garrison troopers were getting devoured when we showed up."

"I wonder how many others suffered the same fate? I have a feeling this is going to be a long and bloody day for all of us." The relief he was feeling melted away as quickly as it had come on. The grim realization that this was the first of many engagements they'd face in the next few hours hung over him like a cloud.

Noticing his change in demeanor, Christa did her best to recover some hopeful words. "Even if it won't be easy, we'll make it through this; we have a good team that we can depend on to get the job done."

"Yeah, but how well is that team going to hold up now that we're finally getting our feet in the fire?" Josh glanced over at their two friends, Jansen was looking pissed off and Aline looked a bit startled. "We're already starting to crack a little under the pressure."

"Everyone, get down here, someone is still alive!" Albrecht's voice broke his focus.

They rest of the squad lowered themselves down to street level and huddled around Albrecht. There was a bloodied woman leaning up against the building; it looked like her legs had been crushed. He turned and shook his head at his squad mates, the woman was dying. They all had basic knowledge of combat first aid, but they certainly weren't doctors by any standard. She probably couldn't be saved even then. The woman coughed up some blood before raising her head and glancing around.

"Hey, you're that sergeant that spoke to us up on the wall this morning!" Christa wasn't the only one that was surprised to see her.

"Cadets of squad seven, I'm sorry that we have to meet again under such circumstances." Each word was coming out raspy. "We were the last survivors of the advance team and by now I assume of the Vanguard as well. Your units are being moved to the front for direct action against the titans. You're now all that stands between them and whatever defense the rear guard has managed to establish during the evacuation. If they push through you, the Vanguard will be unable to cope with enemy numbers and the inner gate will be overwhelmed. If Trost falls today, the human race will follow soon after." Her body was trembling as the color drained from her face.

"We're not going to let that happen. We're going to hold the line, just as you did." Albrecht spoke with conviction.

She laughed, or at least she tried to. Any of the expression she could muster was lost as she coughed up more blood. "Look at you all, you're still just kids and you're out here risking your lives to ensure the future of humanity. I'm not lying when I say that I admire each of you for what you're doing. Just don't go getting yourselves killed; we'll need young people like you to carry the torch."

"I'm sorry we weren't able to get here sooner to help. Maybe some of your squad would still be alive if we had." If he'd given the order to engage sooner, maybe they'd still be alive too. His bantering with Jansen had cost valuable time that he knew they didn't have. He'd been scared half to death of getting stuck into things, picking at his friend's war itch had given him the ability to hang back without losing face.

"Don't go beating yourself up over it. Its war, people are going to die. All we can do is make sure that every death means something. As I said, you have to carry the torch forward, for all of us who fall today and all of those who have fallen these last five years. Do what you can to make sure we didn't die in vain."

Albrecht clutched her hand tightly in his own, small rivers of red flowing out of the grasp. "I swear on my life that we shall find victory today, whatever it takes. From here on, all we're going to do is advance. No more retreating, no more defeat, the titans will never take this city." He looked into her face, wondering if she had more to say, but she was almost gone. Her eyes had closed and her arm went slack in his grip. There was a final exhalation of breath and she was gone. There was no longer any pain in her features; she had the look of someone who was at peace. It was like his words had made her final moments fulfilling. He was trembling, like his mind was still trying to catch up with everything that had just transpired. Inside, he felt as though he was no more than a small child about to be devoured by the world. The final words he'd spoken to the dying sergeant had been a stone's throw short of a blatant lie as far as Alb was concerned.

"Damn, that was some speech you gave there. Not sure where that surge of confidence came from, but can you share a little of it with me? I could use a little more courage today." Josh had been surprised at his friend's words.

"To be honest, I don't have any more than you do. I have no idea if victory is even possible with the number of casualties that we've already suffered. I just didn't want her to die thinking that it was hopeless." He rose and faced his compatriots shakily.

"So you think it's already a lost cause then do you? All of that stoicism you tossed at us was BS?" Jansen looked at him disapprovingly.

"I didn't say that…I just don't know how we can win this fight at the moment. If all of the veterans couldn't even slow down the titans, how much better could a bunch of green recruits be faring?"

"We killed two already didn't we? It may not have made all the difference, but it's something. It'll be slow going, but if we're smart I'm sure we can come out of this in one piece. Take everything as it comes, one day at a time right Kassy?" Christa was trying her best to lift morale back up again. Even now, her desire to bring everyone up had eclipsed any strands of doubt and fear that tried to take hold.

"Yeah…it may not be a lot to work with, but at the moment it's the best we've got." Josh sighed and straightened up. If she was managing to stay this positive somehow, he might as well try and focus his attention on the same. "Regardless of how you were feeling when you said your bit to the sergeant, we have to move forward with the hope that victory of some kind can be achieved here. To do that, we're going to need you to lead us through this come hell or high water."

"What if I can't make the right decisions; what if I break down the next time? I'm second guessing myself to death here guys."

"You can't know either way until the time comes. I do know this though, we won't have a chance at making it out of this alive without you right there leading us on." Christa offered her hand and helped him up. She smiled her reassuring smile and clapped him on the shoulder. "You've gotten us this far haven't you?"

Albrecht laughed a little in spite of himself. "Josh is right; I have no idea what we'd do without you. You've done more to keep this squad together than anyone ever could."

"It doesn't matter what our chances are. Hope or no hope, I'm going to make the titans eat it for every inch of ground." Jansen growled, eager to jump back into the fray as soon as possible.

Aline looked at him crossly. "See, that's what we've been talking about. You're too focused on racking up your kill count. All of your glory seeking and bravado are going to get you or someone else killed."

"You heard what the lady said, its war, and people will die. As long as their deaths pave the road to victory and freedom for humanity, they should die happy."

"So you'd rather win a battle from atop a mountain of corpses than have the chance to withdraw and fight another day? There need to be people alive in order to continue fighting. If more soldiers were as arrogant as you are, they would all be dead and the human race would've become extinct years ago!"

"So what if I'm a little arrogant? At least I'm not afraid to do what needs to be done. I'd rather be an asshole than a coward any day."

"That's enough! Jansen, you need to back the hell off. I don't know what's gotten into you today, but you better lock it down right now. I will not allow you to suck the rest of us into anymore of these situations. We're supposed to be a squad and everyone needs to be willing to work together. If you're not capable of doing that, then how are we supposed to have your back?" Albrecht was in Jansen's face. His leader qualities were working quickly to reassert themselves. He had to give off the impression that he had things in had.

"Just because they made you squad leader until we pick our regiments doesn't mean I have to listen to you. I was expecting a little bit more commitment and enthusiasm from you guys when we finally got the opportunity to prove our mettle, but you want to play it safe. That's not an option anymore. You saw what those things do to people, you even said yourself that this was the reality of our situation. All of that bravery and calm collection you've been spouting was nothing but a bunch of shit! You expect me to just fall into line after you pull something like that?! Our comrades have been butchered like cattle and I'll be damned if I don't make every single titan pay for it! So if none of you have the balls to help me do that, just stay out of my way!" He was practically screaming. A hand smacked him hard across the side of his face. He was about to punch Albrecht, but the hand stopped him. It was Aline.

"Don't you get it yet you idiot?! We've been friends as long as I can remember. Can't you see that we try so hard to get you to slow down because we don't want you going and getting yourself killed?!" Jansen didn't say a word. He stood there with his eye twitching and his fists shaking; a red hand print fading from his cheek. Everyone was poised for his retaliation.

"I think you broke him." Christa said looking mildly confused.

Jansen was still for another moment before speaking. "Normally I'd want to beat your face in for something like that Aline, but I guess I had that one coming didn't I?"

They all looked stunned for second. No one had been expecting his reaction to be so…calm. He hadn't even thrown out another insult. He let out a long sigh and rubbed at his sore cheek.

"I turned into a real prick there. I'm sure anybody else would have dropped me and left after that. Then there's you, standing here literally smacking sense into me." He looked more than a little embarrassed, his temper ebbing away more and more rapidly. "I don't know how I still have any friends with all of the jackassery you've had to put up with from me."

"Well, if we weren't you'd probably just go bug the hell out of some other poor souls. At least we're used to it by now." Josh laughed.

"Emotions are running high, we get it, this is probably the most stressful day of our lives so far. If we let our emotions cloud our judgment though, that's when mistakes get made. We all know you're eager to make a name for yourself, and every one of us wants a little get back for all this trust me. We just need to be alive to do that. ALL of us need to be alive. You've got serious drive behind you, but don't waste your potential by going down doing something stupid." Aline gave him a hug and everyone else smiled at him.

After a minute Jansen laughed. "This is really sweet of you to hug me like that, but um, don't we have more important things to do?"

"Well, I suppose they can't fight the war without us forever can they?" Albrecht started walking. "We still need to link up with other squads and keep the enemy from advancing any further towards the inner gate. We can't let the sergeant down, I made a promise that I'd like to keep."

"Are we going to kill a few more titans then?" Jansen smirked.

"Just save a few for the rest of us will you?" Aline walked past him, Christa and Josh followed. Their weapons were ready.

"I'm afraid I can't make any promises. Don't worry though; I'll share a little bit of the credit when they start handing out medals."

"I can smack you again if you're starting to relapse."

"I can smack your ass if you're really keen on pushing this whole rough love thing."

Aline may have flushed angrily at the comment, but the rest of them laughed. At least Jansen was more or less back to being himself and she was back to wanting to kill him. It was interesting how quickly moods changed on a day like today. The quintet leapt onto the rooftop of the nearest building and began advancing. It may have been a brutal first experience for them, but they'd faced the trial as a unit and had come out of it no worse for the wear. Well, for the most part anyway. If they were lucky, there'd be a few more people alive after their next one.

Boots clattered over shingles and tiles as they moved forward at a run. Squad seven jumped from building to building, closing on what was supposed to be the front line in an ever changing scenario. Aside from the previous encounter, they hadn't seen any more titans yet. That meant that, at least on this side of town, it had been an isolated incident and the right flank hadn't completely fallen apart…not yet at least. It seemed like it was too quiet though. The sounds of battle should have been present in some regard, but there was only relative silence. The blue was giving way to an overcast sky as clouds starting rolling in; on the horizon, it was looking like rain. It would be on top of them in less than an hour by the looks of things. Hopefully it wouldn't last; none of them had brought their rain cloaks and soggy clothes would weigh them down more, making maneuvers harder. They group paused on the next building to catch their breath and look around. They hadn't seen anyone or anything since their earlier engagement, aside from the occasional body or skeletal remains. It was kind of eerie, not knowing what was going on or where anyone was. Josh hoped that none of their friends had bought it and he was praying that Annie was alright. Christa read his expression like a book.

"I know that look and I know who you're thinking about. Stop worrying though, Annie's a tough girl; she'll be fine. You wouldn't want her to have to worry about you right?"

"Yeah, I know. I just can't help it. After what we saw, It's hard to keep my mind out of the 'what if' area."

"I'm sure we'll find her when we connect with the rest of the company. For now, focus on what's in front of you." Josh nodded to her and turned back to Albrecht and waited to hear his plan.

During their deliberation, there was a distant scream carried to them on the wind. It was coming from around the business district to the west of their position. As the sound dissipated, a thick dark cloud obscured the sun, casting the area in shadow. Hopefully that wasn't an omen of some kind. That was all they needed today, fate throwing them under the carriage. They resolved to alter their course in the direction of the cries with the hopes of finding a few of their comrades. Even one or two people would be better than nothing at this point. As they ran across more rooftops, Jansen mused that even running into a titan would be preferable to the damnable empty quiet. That's one of those things that you don't say, ever. Chances are that the moment someone says that, you'll get more than you bargained for. The universe seems to have a really black sense of humor like that. No sooner had Jansen finished his sentence, one of the monsters leapt up onto the roof in front of them, pouncing like some feral cat. A second one was trying to swat at them from down below. They were both easily twice the size of those that they last encountered.

"You just had to say it didn't you?" Aline groaned. "Now we've got two fifteen meters to deal with and one of them is an abnormal!"

"Evasive maneuvers! Don't let it get a bead on you!" Albrecht dodged to the right as it lunged for him.

"What's the plan; do we engage them or do we try and run?!" Josh followed him.

"If we're dealing with an abnormal, that makes it twice as dangerous as a normal one. If we don't take it out, it might head for the inner gate next. We really don't need it sneaking up on anyone else. Jansen and I will distract the other one, the rest of you focus on our eccentric guest."

"We're on it Alb." He swung around and came in alongside Aline and Christa. "We're going to want to hit this thing from every angle. We have no idea what it's going to do so we have to be quick with our attacks."

"Strike the ankles, biceps, and then the neck right?" Christa enquired.

"Yeah, ideally we get the first two at the same time, then that pouncing thing it does will be impossible."

"I got the legs; you and Christa can disable his arms."

"Then let's do this, we need to get to whoever was yelling before they become lunchmeat."

They separated, trying to stay as high above the abnormal as possible as they moved into their positions. The abomination was clumsily flailing around, falling all over itself trying to decide which of them it wanted to eat. Its jaws were snapping at their feet as it became more frustrated. It slipped coming down from the next jump and fell on its face. This was the best opportunity to kill it, while it was relatively still. They oriented themselves to their approach vectors quickly and zoomed forward, blades raised. Aline neatly cut both ankles upon contact, severing the tendons in the blink of an eye. The titan howled and swung out with both arms, grasping for them. Each arc went either wide or short of their positions, but it was only a matter of time before one found its mark.

"Well that just made our job a little more difficult. How are we going to avoid getting back handed with him doing that?" Josh glanced over at Christa, hoping she had an idea or two.

"We may just have to go for the neck, it may not notice if we come straight up the b…" She stopped suddenly, both her words and her movement. There was a brief flash in her eyes. "Kassy…" She jerked backwards and down into the roof of the building below. She impacted hard, tiles splintering out from where she landed. The titan had gotten a hold of her cable mid swing.

"CHRISTA!" Josh screamed and flipped himself around. When she tried to stand, it picked her up and held her in its fist. Josh's blood ran cold as it opened its hideous gullet, pulling her in to take a bite. Every single element of his composure fractured in that instant. This was not happening; she was the last person among them who should die. He aimed for the exposed nape, time was short. Suddenly, logic abandoned him and terror filled every bone in his body. If he struck and his blades didn't go deep enough, or god forbid, if he missed entirely, Christa was dead; she'd be bitten in half. The next couple of seconds passed like a year. Hundreds of different thoughts crashing around inside his brain, until one stood out. It flooded him with a strange purpose and tossed away regard for his own safety. Josh wouldn't let this happen. She wasn't going to die, even if he had to take her place. He collected his thoughts and grimaced. She'd probably never forgive him for this, but he had to do it. _"Annie, I'm sorry. If I make it through this though, you can beat the crap out of me for doing it."_ He changed course to the right.

Josh buried his hooks into the side of the abnormal's face and speed forward. "LET HER GO YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He slammed into the cheek of the monster, driving his swords into the side of its head down to the locking mechanism on the blades. At the velocity he'd been going he was lucky he didn't dislocate both of his arms. The jarring collision left him feeling off balance and dizzy, his head and chest throbbing with pain. He'd more than likely bruised a few ribs and given himself a concussion. Josh's vision was swimming and his ears were ringing. The attack had the desired effect though. Christa plopped back down, released from the literal grip of death. She got to her feet and turned. The titan had completely forgotten about her in lieu of the sharp blades now lodged in its' skull. Now, its' hand went for the barely conscious soldier clinging to the side of its' head.

It was a strange reversal of what hand just happened and she doubted that she'd be the only one yelling at him for it later. But right now, someone had to save him from the reaper. She drew forth her weapons and vaulted off of the chimney behind her, getting a bit of height advantage on their foe. She could see Aline running up alongside of the wounded beast, no doubt having surmised that someone needed rescuing. In the time that they had however, she wouldn't reach the neck before it was too late. Christa flung herself over the titan's head and with a spinning motion, cleaved the weak spot out along with a sizeable amount of gore. Without a sound, the monster collapsed onto its' chest.

As it crashed to the tile, the force of the shaking cost Josh his grip. He hit the roof and rolled down the sloping surface of the structure before finding himself in the air. His limbs had failed him and his body had become next to useless. Six floors below him, the ground approached. Falling had more than once been how fate had tried to end him. The way it was turning out right now, it might just succeed this time around. What few thoughts he could coordinate found it ironic that after what just happened, a fall would be the way he went out. His vision cleared for the briefest of moments and as the grey sky receded from his sight in slow motion, he blacked out.


	9. Among the Dead

Josh shot up from where he was laying down, a painfully high pitched shrieking jarring him awake. He had a pounding headache and his body felt really sore, like he'd been hit with something really heavy. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, unsure of where he was. The space was dimly lit, soft daylight coming in through a handful of windows to his left and right. He wasn't in a house that much was obvious; it was probably a barn by the look of things. He gingerly rose to his feet, clutching his side as a bolt of pain shot through his ribcage. He brushed himself off and pulled a few stiff strands of yellow grass off of his uniform. He'd been sleeping on a pile of straw. After a moment, it dawned on him that he didn't have his ODM gear and he couldn't see it in the immediate vicinity of where he had been lying down.

He also noticed that it was really quiet. Not a single sound was audible aside from his breathing. There was an open set of doors at the far end of the barn, large carriage doors. Cold daylight was lapping around their edges. Josh started slowly walking towards them, taking care to try and avoid putting stress on his torso. He wondered why his ribs hurt so badly, and why he had such a headache. There was a nagging feeling that he knew the answer, but his mind was unable to dredge up the memory. As he tried harder to remember, he found that a number of his memories were hazy. Vague, blurred images swirled around his mind and he couldn't make out any of them, even though he felt like he knew what he was seeing. The further he walked, the more questions he had. He stumbled down the length of the barn, having to prop himself up on the wooden support beams most of the way.

When he finally exited the barn's portal, he found himself in a mist shrouded yard. There were several other structures strewn about, notably a granary and a two story house. Was he on a farm or something? If so, where was it? There certainly weren't any farms within Trost. Even more curious than that was the complete and total emptiness of the whole place. He couldn't see or hear anyone; not even animals were present.

"Hello?" Josh chanced calling out. His voice echoed around strangely for being outside. There was no response, just silence. Not much of a surprise honestly. He'd been more so hoping for a reply, not really expecting to get one. Regardless of where he was or if anyone else was around, he had to focus on getting his priorities in order. The important thing at the moment was finding his rig and working his way back to the city. The evacuation was no doubt still underway and they'd need everyone to keep the titans back. That might be easier said than done. If he didn't have a clue where he was, how in the hell could he get back to the front? Plus, with this thick fog shrouding everything, he had no idea which way Wall Rose was. It wasn't like he could just head off in some random direction and hope for the best. That would waste both time and probably whatever gas he had.

He shook himself, trying to clear his head. _"Come on focus on one issue at a time. Find your rig first; then you can worry about getting out of here. You_ _aren't going anywhere without that."_ He headed towards the house. The porch creaked rather loudly under his steps. In the silence, the sound felt almost deafening. He knocked on the front door cautiously. He was a little startled when in gave and swung inwards. "Hello? Is someone in here?" Still, there was no reply. His words still carried that odd echo as they had in the yard. He entered and found himself in a decently sized dining room. It was about as well lit as the barn, with a layer of dust covering everything. The table had plates of half eaten food on it; dust covering that as well. It looked like the house was just patiently waiting for people to breathe life back into it. He cast his gaze about the room. In here, the emptiness was even more unnerving than before. "Damn this is creepy." Josh walked through the handful of rooms on the first floor. The whole place looked like nobody had lived there in months. The only thing disturbing the illusion of abandonment was his footprints. This didn't make any sense at all. Where was everybody; where was anybody? Not even so much as a mouse scurried through the place.

He headed upstairs, growing more and more eager to leave with each passing moment. He was getting the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here. His glances through the upstairs rooms were hurried, urgency creeping in on him. However, each of the spaces he searched bore no trace of his equipment. It wasn't in the house or the barn evidently. Had someone taken it? Maybe whoever brought him here had an idea of where it was? There were a lot of questions rattling around inside his head, and that was just two more on the pile. A good number of them actually needed questions of their own before they could be asked.

His thought process was shattered when he heard a crashing sound downstairs. Despite being startled by the sudden intrusion on the dead silence, he ran back down to the front room where he had entered. Hopefully someone had shown up. Upon entering the dining room however, he was greeted by a sight that both confused and frightened him.

The hollow space, which had so recently been coated in dirt and grime, was not only clean and brightly lit, it was full of people. Candles hung on every wall and from a chandelier. Ten or so individuals in the uniform of the Garrison Regiment sat around the table. The group was laughing and drinking, looking like they hadn't a care in the world. Josh cautiously moved into the room, treading as lightly as he possibly could. The floor creaked under the weight of his next step and the eyes of the group came up to face him. He flinched slightly, uncomfortable with finding himself at the center of attention. To his surprise, they all smiled at him warmly.

"Well now, look who's finally awake?" A bearded man chuckled and beckoned him over to the table. Josh glanced around warily, unsure whether he should sit with them.

"Oh come on, no need to be shy we're not going to bite or anything." A young redheaded woman assured him.

He walked over slowly and placed himself in an empty chair. He looked at each of the men and women arrayed around him, wondering where they'd all come from so suddenly.

"If you're looking around for Sergeant Tanzerin, don't worry, she'll be along shortly; she actually just went to the barn looking for you. Any questions we can't answer I'm sure she'll be glad to. No doubt you have more than a few at the moment." The woman smiled again.

"Um, I'm not sure how long I was upstairs, but when I first came in here the whole place looked like it had been abandoned for the last year."

"Not sure where you've been lad, but as you can see, this place is far from abandoned." One of the other men at the table laughed and took a swig of his drink.

"Where is **this place** exactly?"

"Don't rightly know the answer to that if I'm being honest. We just rode until we got here." The bearded man said while stroking his chin.

"How…long have we been here? What day is it?"

"Can't tell you that either. When you're a soldier, time just kind of blends together."

"Well, do any of you know where my ODM gear is?"

"Now what would you need that for?"

"I need to get back to Trost and join up with my unit. When I get back on the line I'll be useless if I don't have my rig."

"Ha, back to Trost? What's your hurry kid?" The man took another drink, spilling some of the liquid down his chin.

"What's my hurry? Titans are laying waste to the city; people, my comrades and yours are dying as we speak. We have to get back there and help hold the line."

"Eleven soldiers and a cadet aren't going to make much of a difference in that fight boy. Besides, why not just relax and enjoy the peace and quiet?" The bearded man chortled.

"Are you serious? They need everybody they can get. We can't just abandon our duty, that's not a decision we're allowed to make. That's desertion; they can shoot you for something like this!"

"Don't be so wound up kid. Its' not like anyone knows or cares what we're doing. We wouldn't be any good to them now anyway." One of the other soldiers snorted derisively.

Josh rose up from his seat. "Maybe you guys are content sitting here getting drunk, but I'm not. I'm going back with or without you. So someone tell me where my equipment is and lend me a horse." He pushed his chair out to leave and the bearded man grabbed his arm.

"Lighten up a little recruit. Have a drink, put your feet up. Why are you so eager to leave?"

"I have to get back to the fight, my squad **needs** me, and my friends **need **me. I'm not going to turn my back on them." He tried to pull away, but the man gripped his arm tighter.

"Please, just sit down and stay awhile. Enjoy yourself and rest a bit. I insist."

"Get your hand off of me, I'll find my own way back if none of you will help me." He pushed the man's hand off and started walking away.

"Sit the hell down right now Cadet Kassmeyer!" The redheaded woman slammed her hands on the table and Josh froze. He turned his gaze back to the group; they weren't smiling anymore. They had risen from their seats and were looking at him with cold stares. He started slowly backing away, edging towards the door. They started towards him, the light in the room starting to flicker. Each of their faces was becoming cast in shadow, creating menacing features as the light danced. Josh bumped into something as he stepped back.

"Going somewhere cadet?" Said a woman in a threatening voice.

He turned and looked into the face of the woman and recoiled with a scream. The color had quickly drained from his face.

"What's the matter Cadet Kassmeyer? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You…you're that sergeant from the Garrison Regiment. This isn't possible, you're dead; I watched you die!"

"I'll be damned, we have a certifiable genius here don't we?" She threw her head back and laughed. "Well kid, if I'm dead, then how am I here having a conversation with you? Actually a better question might be, if **I'm** dead, how are **you** having a conversation with **me**? What exactly does that imply?"

Josh's eyes widened and he stumbled back, falling onto the floor. "No, that's…that's impossible, you're screwing with me. I can't be…I'm not…dead. Am I? No, that's insane I can't be!"

"And yet, here you are talking to a dead woman. The dead aren't able to converse with the living last I checked."

"You're full of shit. This is nothing but a crazy hallucination or a bad dream. I'm completely fine!"

"That's an awful lot of blood for someone who's completely fine."

He looked down at his shirt, it was soaking wet. Deep crimson stains covered his uniform. Josh Screamed. "No, this isn't real, I'm not dead!"

"Wake up and smell the roses son, we're all dead."

Josh looked up. The group had clustered around him, each of them similarly coated in gore and or missing body parts. Eyes had become gaping black sockets, skin had become brown and dry, He tried to stand and shove his way through the circle, fear gripping him tighter than it ever had in his life. "Let me out of here, I wanna go back I'm not ready to die yet!"

"You're not going anywhere soldier. You're duty is done; you're one of us now." The group closed on him. Their arms grabbed at him and they began chanting. **_"Omnes, qui vivimus, iam inter mortuos."_**

"No, let go of me you bastards! I'm not dead! I want to go back to my friends!"

"Embrace the abyss Kassmeyer. The darkness is your only friend now. Let it take you."

The chanting was getting louder, but the group's lips were no longer moving. The sound bored into his brain and his head hurt. He could feel cold hands clasping tightly around his throat. "I'm not dead! Get off of me you freaks!" The grip closed tighter, intent on silencing him. It was becoming hard to breathe and blackness closed on the edges of his vision. He was beginning to feel a coldness creeping into his limbs. His cries had been reduced to a whisper as the hands choked the life from him. "No…this isn't happening…it can't be…I'm not dead. I'm not dead…I'm not dead…I'm not dead…**I'm not dead**…**I'm not dead!**"

"**I'M NOT DEAD!**" Josh screamed and shot up, his eyes flying open. There was a cluster of people loosely gathered around him. Some of them had jumped back in surprise at his sudden awakening.

"Don't scare me like that man; just about gave me a heart attack. We were starting to think you wouldn't come out of it." Albrecht laughed nervously.

"Alb, what happened?" Josh rubbed his head and looked around. Aline, Jansen, Sasha, and Connie were gathered in a semi-circle above him.

"In your little moment of insanity, you managed to get yourself knocked unconscious. You fell off of the roof and just about turned yourself into a pancake before Aline swooped down and picked you up. You've been out cold for almost two hours."

"Two hours?! What did I miss; what's going on?!"

"Well, the evacuation is complete. We managed to get all of the civilians out in time without a single casualty. With the mission being a success we were given the signal to pull back over the inner wall. The only problem is, most of us are nearly out of gas. Slowing down the enemy's advance used up almost everything we had. On top of that, some titans broke through the line and overran headquarters so I doubt we'll be getting resupplied anytime soon."

"So why not use what we've got and make a run for the command post?"

"I'm not sure we've got the numbers or the skills to retake it. A lot of cadets have died already today; everyone's morale is at an all time low. Most of us are still fighting off the shock. Add to that the fact that we're all exhausted and it'll probably take a miracle to get us all moving again."

"Who…who did we lose? None of you guys look much worse for the wear, so I just don't see…Christa. Where's Christa; is she okay?! Someone please tell me she made it!"

"I'm fine Kassy. In no small part because of you I might add." She was behind him, propping him up.

Josh breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the lord. I don't think I could've handled that kind of news right now."

"She hasn't left your side since you went down. When we had to engage, she stood over you practically daring the titans to try and take you. I've never seen her look so pissed off before. She was like an entirely different person." Aline laughed.

"You're so lucky; every guy in the class would kill for the relationship you have with Christa." Jansen groaned.

"We're just friends. She's like a little sister to me so I'm not sure what there is to be that jealous of. Besides, I probably owe her my life ten times over by now. Heaven help me if the day comes where she decides to collect on that debt." Josh got to his feet. He was a bit unsteady and had to lean on Christa for balance. His legs felt a little numb and everything else was kind of sore, but he was alive. He'd deal with every ounce of agony that came on. Even that was infinitely better than being stuck in the nightmare realm he'd just escaped from. He wondered whether this nightmare meant anything. It had been nothing short of disturbing to have his last dream foreshadow the current state of events. Now was not the time to focus on that however, there were much more pressing matters. Even though escaping the city was definitely a high priority, it wasn't quite at the top of Josh's list yet. There were still one or two things he had to know. Despite the situation and the likelihood that his question was far from needed, He probably wouldn't be able to think straight until he asked.

"So guys, I know this is probably a dumb question and I know there are bigger issues at hand but, Annie is okay right?"

"Yeah, she's one of the last people you'd need to be worried about right now. From what I've seen, she still had that unnatural sense of calm despite what's happened. She's around here somewhere with Reiner and Bertolt." Sasha looked around as she said it.

"She hasn't seen me like this has she? I know that when she does, she just might kill me herself."

"She probably knows what happened by now though. I doubt it takes word long to travel across a couple of rooftops. It wasn't wrong to be worried about her though. It would be scary actually if you weren't concerned at a time like this. There are still a lot of cadets that are missing; including most of Armin's squad. They must be out there somewhere and hopefully they've made it over the wall." Christa said solemnly.

"Yeah well, regardless of what's going on with everyone else, we're still pretty well and truly screwed right now." Connie sighed. "Jean was right, a bunch of rookies don't have a chance in hell of retaking headquarters. If we had just a little more gas we could probably thin them out a little bit, but without being able to utilize our mobility gear for combat, things are damn near hopeless…" Connie trailed off and plopped onto the roof. The defeatism he was feeling wasn't really unwarranted. During the time that Josh had been out, things seemed to have gotten a whole lot worse.

She stared across the street at the tight cluster of people. Even though they were a hundred feet away, she could tell what they were talking about. She felt more than guilty for not being over there with them, there with **him**. What kind of person did it make her that she couldn't bring herself to toss away the charade at a time like this? She'd heard someone say earlier that he'd almost died fighting an abnormal. He'd been unconscious when they'd shown up and there'd been some concern as to whether or not he would come out of it. What would she have done if he hadn't? Annie wondered why she was still so concerned about keeping up appearances when so many of them probably wouldn't see the end of the day. Why didn't she just run to him and hug him and be thankful that he was alive? Deep down, she hated herself for her inability to act on her feelings. Just once, why couldn't she stop caring what everyone else thought? This was probably when he needed her most and she still couldn't break her composure. It actually made her feel worse that he probably wouldn't even be irritated about it.

Josh had always been way too understanding for his own good. She had beaten him up on occasions too numerous to count and after three years she was still unable to publicly acknowledge how she felt around almost everyone. Yet, even for all that, he'd come running back to her every time like he was a stray dog. He never held any of it against her; he went along so she could keep her outward image. He cared about her enough to go that extra mile to keep her secret. He was either an idiot or a masochist and she was really hoping it wasn't the latter. According to Jansen, Josh was lucky that all the abuse hadn't permanently damaged most of his internal organs.

She stared out across the rooftops to where he shakily stood. He looked like he'd really been raked over the coals. It was easy to see how much agony he was in by the way he walked. It hurt her heart to see him in the shape he was. What's more, despite how close she was to him, it felt like he was a thousand miles away.

"Hey Annie, are you alright?" Reiner was looking sidelong at her.

"Yeah…Yeah I'm fine. This all just…has me a little out of my head. So, are we going to move out?"

"Not just yet; we have to let everyone collect themselves first."

"What's the point? We won't be able to retake the supply depot at HQ. There's just too many titans for us to make it. None of us are going to survive this. I've come to accept my impending demise; I just…wanted my death to mean something." Marco was staring off blankly into space.

"Well we're not getting anywhere by just throwing in the towel are we?"

_"__At least Reiner has his head on straight. I doubt that alone will be enough to do much though."_ Annie thought to herself.

Behind them, there was a clatter of footsteps.

"Mikasa?" One of the cadets called out.

"Wait, weren't you with the rear guard?" Someone else asked. The attention of the whole class had shifted. Her arrival was a complete surprise to everyone.

"Annie!" Mikasa called to her as she ran. "I know things are bad right now, and I know it sounds selfish bringing up personal matters, but have you seen Eren's squad?"

"Some squads managed to make it here, but I don't know about Eren's" she looked off in Josh's direction again. _"Mikasa, you have no Idea what being selfish actually means."_

"We did manage to find Armin though. He's over there." Reiner pointed out the small blonde haired boy. He was up against the wall; his body was limp like he was in some sort of stupor. Mikasa ran to him.

"Armin, are you okay? You're not hurt or anything are you? Do you know where Eren is?" She looked around.

Armin had started crying. His eyes were welling up with tears as he looked into Mikasa's face. They started running down his cheeks and he sank low onto his knees.

"They were…the cadets of squad 34. Thomas Wagner, Nac Tius, Mylius Zeramuski, Mina Carolina, and…Eren Jaeger. These brave five upheld their duties…and died valiantly on the field of battle."

Everyone stood there in stunned silence. Some of them had had their suspicions, but nobody wanted to believe that they were dead. Another five names added to the growing list of friends and comrades that would never see home again.

"He can't be serious, Eren…all of them…are dead?" Josh whispered.

Sasha was shaking. "Please…no…they can't be."

Ymir manifested herself next to them. "I said as much an hour ago. Why would Armin have been the only one we found otherwise?" She glanced at Josh. "That was something else you missed while you were catching up on your beauty sleep. I wonder how many other people died while you were in dream land."

"Oh bite me you passive aggressive bitch."

"Ymir, don't be mean. He's been through a lot today. I think you'd be a little more grateful considering that he saved my life."

"Yeah? Tell me then, why did you guys have to jump in and save him five seconds later? He's not much good to anyone if he's going to need rescuing every time there's a fight."

"You want to start something now? If you're keen on kicking me while I'm down the come on; let's have it." Josh made to draw his sword.

"No thanks, I don't see much of a challenge in fighting with a cripple. I'll get a rain check on that." Ymir walked away again. She was completely apathetic. For all she cared, there hadn't even been a word spoken between them.

"I honestly don't know why you spend any time hanging out with that girl." Josh looked down at Christa.

"She's not horrible all of the time. She just has a tendency to be really cynical. For what it's worth, she's pretty nice to me. That said, I don't want you to go looking for a fight with her, even if she does egg you on like that okay?"

"Yeah, alright. Just try and get her to lay off. She'll make a lot of enemies like that." Josh looked back over to where Mikasa was; she had started moving along to rooftop and Armin was on his feet again. There was a look of deep determination in her eyes.

"Anybody got a clue what she has in mind?" Aline asked around the group.

"Marco, if we eliminate or bypass the titan's at HQ, we can refill our tanks and find our way back over the wall; am I correct?"

"Well…yeah sure, but there's just too many for us to get past with the resources we have, even if you're on point."

"I can do it…I'm strong, really strong; none of you can even come close. Do you hear me? I am a warrior! I have the power to slay every single titan in our path…even if I have to do it alone. As far as I'm concerned right now, I'm surrounded by a bunch of miserable, unskilled cowards. That disappoints me. You** all **disappoint me. You can just sit here twiddling your thumbs and watch how it's done."

"Mikasa, are you crazy?" someone spoke up.

"That's suicide, trying to take on all of them by yourself."

"There's no way you can even hope to beat so many titans!"

"Well, if I can't beat them, I die, but if I win, I live, and the only way to win is to fight!" With that, she turned and flew off in the direction of the citadel, leaving the company of stunned cadets in her wake.

"She really just said that didn't she?" Jansen looked rather hurt.

"That girl either has a heart of iron or she's crazy, maybe both?" Albrecht was thinking out loud. Her words had resonated inside all of them. It was insulting, after everything they'd been through today to be called cowards? That didn't sit right with anyone. Alb was about to give the order to pull arms and advance, but he stopped when he heard someone shouting to his right. It was the last person any of them had expected to speak up.

"Hey! Don't just stand there! We weren't taught to let our comrades fight alone! Unless of course you are cowards; in which case, just stay out of my way!" Jean yelled from across the street. He took off at breakneck speed after Mikasa. Aline's gaze followed him.

"He's so brave…and hot. If only he didn't pay so much attention to **her**." Everybody groaned as she said it. Most of them may have been annoyed, but Josh was pissed.

"Oh there is no way in hell I'm letting that slide." Josh pushed himself to the front of the group. He was scowling as he drew his blades. "Mikasa may be the best soldier in the 104th, but I'll be damned if I let Jean Kirstein of all people call me a coward. The jackass just had to go and ruin what was left of my good mood."

"You're up for another suicide run already? Do you really have some kind of death wish today?" Jansen looked at him.

"Well sitting here isn't exactly increasing our life spans now is it?" Sasha said as she ran off to rejoin her own squad.

Jansen clapped Josh on the back. "Just don't go falling asleep on us again; carrying around your deadweight sucks. Besides, I can't really show you up if you're out cold." He laughed and they started advancing. The sound of swords being pulled from their scabbards rang out as scores of recruits prepared to head into the fray again. With a little encouragement, people will almost always take a slim chance at survival over just flipping the fate coin.

"Alright boys and girls, let's do this. Avoid engaging the enemy if you can. Remember, the more gas we have to reach HQ with, the better. If you can't get past them, take them down quick. We'll need to move quickly if we don't want to get left behind. One more thing; Josh…I'm feeling inclined to let you have it this time around." Albrecht turned to him and smiled.

Josh smirked and raised his blade. "I thought you'd never ask. Squad Seven, forward! WIR SIND DIE JAGER!" To his surprise, his squad wasn't the only one that took up the rallying cry. The collective roar of the 104th Cadet Corps was so loud, they probably could hear in all the way in the capital. A spark of courage had been stirred deep within them. These people, not much more than kids, leapt from their perches on the rooves and advanced. They were either headed for safety or they were headed for the abyss. Making it through and clearing the supply depot would be a tall order, but whatever the cost, the cadets were getting over the inner wall.

Up ahead, Jean had more or less taken the lead of the maneuver. He was shouting directions at anyone close enough to listen. "Everyone, follow Mikasa! Avoid engaging the enemy whenever possible. Above all else, make it to HQ before you run out of gas!"

"Didn't I basically just say that?" Albrecht asked as they jumped from building to building.

"It doesn't matter so long as everyone has the same idea. I just wish we weren't so spread out; how are we going to keep tabs on other squads?" Aline sounded concerned. Their loose formation made covering the flanks problematic at best. That meant that titans would likely be in and among them. Avoiding them every time would be next to impossible. What's more is that each squad would more or less have to defend themselves at that point. This was a mad dash and things were bound to get screwed up in one way or another.

"I think it's every man for himself right now. We won't be able to count on our asses being covered and vice versa. Just keep your eyes open and your fingers on your triggers."

Off to their left there came a few gut wrenching screams. It sounded like squad sixteen had fallen. They had to fight down the urge to turn and help. In all likelihood, they were all goners. They wouldn't be the last to go down before the company reached its' gilded place of sanctuary. It was terrible to just have to abandon their comrades, especially now, but none of them could spare the fuel to do anything about it. They all just had to keep moving. Either some of them died, or all of them died; that was the reality of the situation.

As Josh shot himself through the air, he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his balance. His bruised ribs were rendering every shift of his weight excruciatingly painful to endure. That made his movements slower, which was almost an automatic death sentence out here.

"Kassy, are you doing alright?!" Christa pulled in beside him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll feel better once we get over the wall. Hopefully they'll let me relax for a couple of hours while we wait on orders."

"You don't have to try and impress anyone. If you're having trouble we can hold up for a second."

"You and I both know we can't afford to lose momentum. Besides, it's not that bad; Annie's beat me up worse than this." It was a lie, but he had to power through long enough for them to reach the safe zone. He felt like he was dying, everything ached. He couldn't remember ever being in this much physical pain. He wanted so much to catch his breath for a moment. That would put the rest of them at risk though if they stopped. So he needed to shift his focus away from the pain as much as he could.

"Heads up, we have a fifteen meter to our front!" Jansen called out. They all reacted immediately, swinging themselves out of harm's way. Josh was mid-way into his own when a flare of pain shot up his right side. He flinched, causing him to miss his mark when he fired his hook. Titans weren't smart by any stretch, but they could take advantage of a screw up like that easily. The creature's jaw spread wide, inviting him inside. The slip-up had put him at too awkward of an angle to be able to get free of the looming grasp of death. Josh was left flying sideways into the titan's gaping maw.

"This is really turning out to be the unluckiest day of my life." He sighed. Being eaten alive didn't suit his fancy at the moment, but that wasn't going to stop the titan from giving it a try. Whether he died or not was completely up to him; he'd have to escape this on his own. His friends would never be able to reach him in time. He tucked his limbs close to his body and braced himself as he passed through the teeth and the mouth clamped shut behind him.

The rest of squad seven stopped when they heard the sound of crunching teeth. It didn't take a trained soldier to know what that meant. They got a headcount even though it was plain who was absent.

"Hold up for a minute. Where's Josh?" Albrecht looked around.

"He was in the back I thought." Aline answered him.

"Guys…that titan, it looks like it's chewing on something." Jansen raised his arm and pointed. The noise made them all cringe.

"Who was behind our section?"

"No one was Alb. There weren't any other squads to our rear."

"Then who is the titan eating?" Albrecht didn't want to say what was already obvious. "Who the hell is being chewed on over there?"

"Don't you dare make me say it! You know damn well who it is! Who's the only person that's missing?"

"Stop talking like that, he probably just stopped somewhere. We all know he's in a lot of pain right now." Nobody wanted to look Christa in the eye at that moment. "Come on, he was right behind me!" She was on the verge of panicking; her eyes were welling up with tears. "He's fine! He just has to catch up to us." She looked up at all of them defiantly.

"Christa…I'm sorry, but…" Jansen was starting to fight back tears himself.

"Shut up! He's around here somewhere and he's fine just like always." The tears started flowing down her face. "There's no way…he…he…stop looking at me like I'm being stupid!"

"He's stubborn as all hell, but you can't just live through being eaten. I don't want to admit it either but…Josh is either dead or…he's…dead." Christa ran over and hugged Jansen, her eyes stung as tears stained her cheeks. She'd managed to hold it together pretty well all day, even when Josh had almost bought it while trying to rescue her. She had managed to save his life earlier and had talked him out of being afraid before they went into battle. For three years, Christa Lenz had been watching out for him, giving him advice, and helping him with Annie issues. All it had taken was one second and all of that was lost.

"This isn't fair. He wasn't supposed to die today. I told him not to write a goodbye letter to his parents. What are we going to tell them? What are we going to tell Annie when she asks where he is?" She was sobbing. Jansen was trying to comfort her as best he could. Aline was pacing back and forth anxiously and Albrecht just stood there like he had gone numb. He'd promised that no one was going to get killed today. He had sworn that none of the titans would eat his people, his friends. They should've been keeping closer tabs on Josh, considering the shape he was in. He shouldn't have been in the back, there was no protection there. Now, he was gone. The only consolation was in the hope that he went quickly. Nobody should have to suffer through being eaten alive.

"I really hope then haven't already given up on me out there." Josh was still inside the titan's mouth and surprisingly in one piece. When the jaw had closed behind him, he'd jammed his swords through the beast's tongue. He'd been holding on for dear life as the beast tried to chomp on or swallow him. It smelled like a charnel house in there. He could only imagine how many bodies were floating around in the stomach. "Come on Kassymeyer, think of something fast. Before long you'll either lose your grip or the blades will slide out." The latter of which was already starting to happen. He tried pulling himself up a bit more; it was difficult with the tongue being all slimy. How could he get out of here; what were his options? Carving his way through the teeth would be impossible and there was no telling if the blades could cut his way out of the stomach. Perhaps if he could get the titan to open its' mouth he'd be able to get out? No, even if he caused enough damage for it to cry out in pain, it wouldn't keep its' jaw extended long enough to avoid the possibility of being bit in half on the way out. Then, an idea came to him. If he cut the muscles supporting the jaw bone, the mouth might fall open of its' own volition. He'd need to fully dig his swords into each side to make the cut possible. He needed to stay stable for that to happen and the tongue didn't seem too keen on allowing that.

The pink mass writhed around underneath him, attempting to push him back and down the throat. "You know what, I've had just about enough of your shit." He pulled one of the blades free and sliced across, severing the nerves and tissue that allowed the tongue to function. He continued cutting until the whole thing had come off and he kicked it down the monster's esophagus as blood began filling the mouth cavity. It was shocking how light the thing was. He'd hoped to move it out of his way a little bit at best, but the whole massive bit of meat flew like it weighed no more than a pound or two. It was such a curious notion that he had to snap himself back into focus. "Okay, worry about what in the hell is wrong with physics later. Right now, you're getting out of here." There was likely only a moment or two before the tongue grew back, so it was necessary to work even more quickly than before. He really hoped that his hypothesis about the jaw muscles was correct.

He started with the muscles on the left side of the mouth, brutally sawing through them as fast as his arms would allow him to. The titan's hot gore was spattering all over him and pooling at his feet; it was almost scalding hot. The more he cut, the more the creature shook, like it wanted to cry out in pain. With any luck, it was having trouble doing so because it was choking on its' severed tongue. With one more swipe, the last bit of sinew snapped and Josh started on the right side in earnest. He had to really make this quick before any of the wounds healed themselves. He moved his blades in a sawing motion just as before, putting all the force he could muster behind each cut.

His body was becoming entirely coated in the crimson vitae spewing from the gashes he had carved. He knew that it would evaporate off of him relatively quickly, but he still planned on showering at the first opportunity. "Come on, just a little more…break already you bastard." The last piece of muscle tissue was proving rather annoying to slice in two. Josh had probably dulled his blades considerably by this point. He didn't have the space available to switch them out for fresh ones, so he pushed the dull pair with all of his might. Every ounce of strength that he had went into that push. His aching muscles begged him to stop so they could rest, but that was not an option. He fought down the protests of his body with effort, willing his body to endure just a bit more. One last slicing maneuver and the jaw gave.

The mouth dropped open and he could see the street below him. That was his cue to get the hell out of there. Josh slid down and spring-boarded off of the distended jaw and into freedom. He fired a grappling hook and catapulted himself up onto the nearest roof and set off at a run. The titan swatted at him, angered at the loss of a meal. The sound drew some attention a few buildings down.

"Hey, Alb…am I seeing things right now?" Aline nudged him with her elbow.

"I don't know, I'm seeing the same thing. I must be crazy."

"Hey Christa, you and Jans can stop crying now…I think."

They both looked up. Christa wiped her eyes and Jansen tried to explain that he wasn't crying. Every single one of them had to make sure they weren't dreaming or something as Josh came skidding to a stop in front of them. Christa immediately started crying again and gave him a big hug.

"That's the second time you've scared the hell out of us today. If you start making a habit out of this, Annie won't be the only one beating on you." She managed a laugh in between sniffles.

"Yeah, I'm not planning on it. Can we save the celebrations for later though? I don't think I did much more than piss my captor off." Josh gestured behind him. The titan was bounding in their direction. "I would suggest running or something, now."

"Well, that's some of the best advice I've heard all day." Jansen said as he turned on his heel. The five of them started sprinting towards the tower as fast as they could. They jumped across alleyways and shot across avenues, all the while the creature was practically nipping at their boots. This one must have been an abnormal of some kind and it was fast. It was almost vaulting some of the buildings, it moved at such impressive speeds.

"I'm not sure I'm very fond of our new friend Josh." Albrecht glanced back and instantly regretted doing so. He face turned white and he faced front again without a word.

"What's going on; is it really that close on us? Aline turned and looked as well. "Oh come on, really?" There was another fifteen meter titan closing in on their tails. This one was even faster than the other.

"This is definitely the unluckiest day of my life today." Josh groaned.

Within the next few seconds, the enemy would be right on them. Two titans with such terrifying speed capabilities were nothing you could scoff at. There would be no outrunning these two. The only thing that would come out of that would be putting everyone else at risk.

"Everyone, defensive stances, we're going to have to engage these ones. Watch each other's backs; this won't be pretty or easy." Albrecht pulled a 180 degree turn off of a nearby bell tower and prepared to strike the first of the beasts. His comrades had fanned out in his wake and they raised their swords to deal death blows at the first chance. They didn't get the opportunity to do so however, something else beat them to it. Today was full of surprises, but this one, they weren't quite sure how to react to it.

The second fifteen meter titan howled and drew its' arm back, landing a punishing blow into the head of the first one. The fist made contact, shattering bone and crushing the entire back of the skull. The maimed beast fell to the street. When it made an attempt to rise, its' attacker used its' foot to pound the neck area into pulp. The attack continued until the fallen titan wasn't even twitching. Then, when it found no further reason to bludgeon its' brethren, it headed off in the direction of the supply depot. The cadets of Squad Seven just stared, slack-jawed, at the sight that had just unfolded before them.

"Did we really just see that?" Jansen was the first one to speak up.

"A titan…just killed another titan. On top of that, it just ignored us." Josh was dumbfounded. "Okay, be honest here guys; I'm still unconscious and this is part of my weird ass dream isn't it?"

"Well, dream or not, the road seems pretty much clear from here to HQ. We can figure this out once we get there." Albrecht gave the signal for them to move out again. They covered the final blocks in the vicinity of the citadel with ease, seeing as most of the titans in the area had swarmed the building. Once there, they just had to find their point of entry.

Albrecht scanned the façade for any signs of entry by the other cadets. They were all running on the last dregs of fuel in their tanks so they needed their way in as soon as possible.

"There, on the fifth floor, the library windows are broken and I see a handful of others going in that way as well." Aline gestured with her sword and they made a beeline for the shattered portals, swinging themselves through and into the space. Mikasa, Armin, Jean, and Connie stood in a semi-circle. They were mentioning the titan that the group had so recently seen attack an abnormal. It had just arrived and was having at every titan that was in the square around the depot. Even from a cursory glance, it was clear that this new breed of creature was winning.

"So, you guys have met him too huh?" Albrecht asked Connie.

"Mikasa actually found the thing first. Then Armin here got in his head the idea for us to lead it here and clear out some of the opposition for us. I thought he might be crazy, but after this, I'm convinced he's nothing short of a genius!"

"Any idea why he'd not interested in coming after us?" Jansen asked.

"Who cares? As long as he's out there doing that, we can focus on clearing out the supply room and getting out of here."

"I still think we should be wary of that thing. Who knows what it'll do when it runs out of things to kill outside." Jean didn't sound as optimistic as Connie.

"So, you took the lead out there hotshot; how many people made it in here?" Albrecht asked Jean directly.

"More than I expected, a lot less than I would've liked. A good number of our people died out there. Then when we get here, we find the supply squad cowering under desks like cowards. How many of us died out there because they couldn't do their damn jobs?" He sounded like he had been bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Aline glued herself to his arm. "If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you Jean."

"Um…thanks I guess?"

Connie looked over at Albrecht. "So, I see that Aline's mood hasn't changed at all after today's events."

"What are you getting at cue ball?" She shot him an angry look.

"Nothing, I'm just surprised you've continued to chase a dead end crush for three years."

"This coming from the guy who's in love with potato girl." She sniggered at him.

I'm not in love with her! She's…just a good friend." He said sheepishly.

Albrecht clapped him on the shoulder. "That was a real nice save mate. Good job." Connie slumped a little bit.

Josh left the cluster of people and started walking out of the room toward the inner part of the structure.

"Kassy, where are you going?" Christa called after him.

"The supply room isn't going to clear itself is it? We need to meet up with everyone else and besides, there's something I have to do before the day goes any further." He disappeared into the next room. After everything that had happened in the last few hours, there was only one task on his mind. He entered into a lamp-lit room that was clogged with several dozen cadets who were milling around uncertainly.

His eyes darted back and forth, trying to find his target. He couldn't see through the crowd very well so sight lines were problematic. He pushed his way through the clusters of bodies, looking through each one without luck. He was almost ready to start worrying about whether they had made it or not. Hell, in all the chaos he'd nearly been devoured himself. As he made his way out of the next circle however, he caught sight of her. She was leaning up against a support beam, talking to Reiner, and looking bored as usual. He carefully thought his next course of action over. What he had in mind was nothing short of absolutely insane. There were only two possible outcomes that he could think of; he was either getting hit, or things would get really awkward. Not the best selection of options, but after today, nothing was going to faze him.

He took a deep breath and starting striding purposefully across the room towards her. "Annie…" He called out.

Annie turned her head and a wave of relief instantly threatened to drown her. He was still alive. He was looking a little intense, but otherwise fine. She had to keep a level head though; there were too many people for her to break down and cry and hug him. No matter how much she wanted to, the time for such things was later. She was actually a little surprised when he stopped barely two feet from her.

"Do you need something Kassmeyer?" She tried to look as uninterested as possible.

"Yeah, I do. Since this morning: I have seen almost two dozen people get butchered. I have been beaten all to hell, nearly died twice, spent two hours stuck in a nightmare hell hole, seen Christa cry, Jansen get all blood ragey, watched a titan kill another titan, and I was indirectly called a coward by Jean Kirstein of all people. To be real honest, if life is going to throw much more shit at me today, I'm gonna do something that I've been carefully avoiding for three years."

"I don't know what you're getting at, but I don't really care a…wait what are you doing?" Josh grabbed her by the shoulders and, with the most determined look she'd ever seen on his face, kissed her deeper than she'd ever thought possible. There was that bolt of lightning feeling like they'd had when they first kissed in the evergreen branches almost thirty six months ago. She couldn't even move, like she'd been bolted to the floor. The instant that followed rendered the room so quiet that you could've heard a pin drop a block away. Every single person in the room was dead silent, their mouths agape. Several people actually ended up dropping whatever they had in their hands.

When their lips parted, Josh turned on his heel and started walking away, his fists raised triumphantly in the air. His mission was done.

"Joshua Kassmeyer…" Her words stopped him in his tracks. He faced her and she stomped towards him. Annie grabbed him by his collar and shoved him against another one of the support beams; she looked rather pissed off. "You have got to be the biggest idiot that I have ever met. You're a reckless, irresponsible, nonsensical nut case…and I love you." She kissed him. He could practically feel the inhibitions melt away from her. This day had just taken a dramatic change from being one of the worst, to being one of the best. Even after all this time, something as simple as getting a kiss from her could surprise him. Josh swore that the moment she kissed him, he heard somebody faint.

Out of the overbearing silence, Jean was actually the first person to say something. When he spoke up, his voice actually cracked a little bit out of surprise. "Can somebody please tell me, what in the hell I just walked in on?"


	10. Revelations

It felt rather unusual being the center of attention. Despite the large number of people crowded into the space, it felt almost empty with all the silence. No one in their right mind would have seen that coming. Annie barely conversed with anyone, let alone go so far as to kiss someone and say I love you. She held onto Josh tightly, almost as if he would float away if she let go. The feelings of guilt she felt from earlier still hung over her and she was grateful to have a moment to hold him close.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier when you woke up. I should have been, but I'm just glad you're alright." She leaned on his chest.

"Hey, you don't need to be sorry, I get it. And of course I'm alright; I had to get back here to you didn't I? Titans aren't going keep me from that." He smiled at her, enjoying the cute moment they were indulging in. The feeling of finally being able to hold and kiss her without caring who saw was nothing short of liberating. It actually made him laugh to know that they got that kind of reaction from everyone. Even his friends had been surprised to see it. Well, all of them except Christa who just stood there smiling like she was seeing the most adorable thing in the world.

"Damn Kassmeyer, you've got bigger balls than I ever would've thought possible." Ymir actually sounded impressed. "You're the last person I would've expected to pair up with **her**."

"So let me get this straight, those two are a thing?" Jean was trying to wrap his head around it. "How long has this been going on?"

"Almost the entire time we were at the academy give or a take a week or two." Connie volunteered the statistic.

"What the hell, you're serious? So, who else knew about this?" Everyone from Squad seven, and Sasha raised their hands.

"We kept the secret pretty damn well if you ask me." Aline looked over at Josh and Annie as though she sought praise for her commitment to the task.

"I'm surprised **we** never figured it out in **three years**." Reiner was a little taken aback by what has transpired. Considering how often he and Bertolt were around Annie, the fact that she hadn't even divulged the tiniest hint about it was shocking. "I'd have sooner believed Jean turning into a saint before you could've convinced me of this." Comments jumped around the room for a while; almost everyone from the company had something to say about the whole affair. They ranged from pure shock and disbelief to approval and even jealousy once or twice. Josh and Annie owned the room at the moment, their embrace leaving everything still enough to paint a picture of the scene. He laughed to himself and whispered in her ear.

"So, why after all this time did you decide to finally give in to those bottled up feelings?"

"Well, everyone cracks eventually and that aside, if you're going to ruin my reputation in front of everyone, the least you could do was finish the job and do it right. Honestly, have some manners you idiot." She smiled and rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"They're just so cute together aren't they?" Christa asked no one in particular. Such was her attitude towards most instances of the romantic nature. She had a hand in all of this. Since the very beginning, she'd fostered the fledgling relationship, pushing the two closet lovers further into each other's arms. It hadn't taken very long for her to notice the natural progression of things, so she helped it along and supported it in any way she could. Josh had eventually posed the question of why to her, noting a heavier interest than just that of her normal kindness. She'd phrased it along the lines of "Call me a sucker for a sweet little love story. The gentle kind hearted boy comes in and showers his affections on the loner girl who basically hates the world. He melts her cold heart and they fall in love. That's a book I could curl up by the candlelight and read, even if it does sound a little cheesy." She'd said that near the beginning of it all, like he and Annie were already predestined to be soul mates or something. After everything that had transpired and everything she had said in the time since, Josh wondered if Christa was clairvoyant and just had neglected to mention it. While the latest bout of his rather common wandering mind flew around inside his head, a voice from the crowd rose to be heard.

"I hate to interrupt everybody here, but we have bigger things to worry about right now, like escaping this place. On top of that, I think Armin fainted." Marco nudged his way into the heart of the gathering.

"Right…sorry I was miles away there for a moment. I guess I get lost in those eyes of hers from time to time." Josh grinned sheepishly.

"Oh lord, would you stop with the lines; you're making me feel girly again." Annie groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"Huh, so she's not really all that scary then after all. Everything she's done has been nothing more than an act?" One of the cadets from the crowd offered up the opinion.

"Don't go jumping to conclusions; I can still floor any of you if I wanted. Just because I let my feelings out once in a while, doesn't mean I can't or won't kick an ass or two when the situation calls for it."

"Guys, again bigger problems to worry about here. Oh, wait I think Armin is waking up." Marco picked up the stirring trooper and propped him against the wall.

"What's going on…why does my head hurt so much? You'll never believe this, but I just had the weirdest dream that Josh and Annie were making out in front of everybody." He rubbed his eyes.

"Don't go fainting again or anything, but that wasn't a dream." Armin nearly passed out again regardless. Mikasa walked over and put her hands on his shoulders to shake him awake.

"Armin, we need you to collect yourself for now. We'll need your help putting together a plan for retaking HQ. This isn't the strangest thing we've seen today."

"Alright…yeah. I'm sorry I…just figured that would be the last thing I'd see."

"Okay, come on it's not that weird. You'd think that none of you had ever seen two people kiss before."

"Well…it's just that…**you** and **him**? I'd have expected that titan rampaging outside a lot sooner than this pair up." Jean tried to avoid tripping on the words.

Annie flushed slightly. "What exactly are you getting at? Is that supposed to be a stab at Josh or me?" She clenched her fists and snarled which made Jean step back a bit.

"Nothing, I'm not getting at anything I swear." She wasn't someone that he wanted to have pissed off at him, especially when he had nowhere to run if she lost it. Trying to shift the attention off of himself, he turned to Armin. "Any ideas yet on how we're going to get out of here?"

"Yeah, I've got a little something in the works; I'll need someone to find me a diagram of the building and a few of us to look around for weapons and any useful supplies. I'll also need someone to give me an estimate of how many titans are inside the supply room. Once we've gathered everything we can, we'll meet up by the cargo lift downstairs and I'll lay the plan out. Our new friend outside should be buying us at least a little bit of time, but all the same I'd be as quick about it as you can." People began scattering off in numerous directions. The more of them were off searching, the faster the work would be. Time had come for the lot of them to get their heads back in the game. Being given some direction was doing an excellent job of repelling the shock and confusion of the last couple of hours. It wasn't as though it had been part of their plan, but Josh and Annie's moment had also given the 104th cadets a much needed distraction from the brutality of the war surrounding them. Perhaps feeling surprise was a great way to remind them that they were all still alive. At least, they were for a bit longer. Outside of their refuge, the roars of the rampaging abnormal seemed to shake the very foundations of the building. An occasional rain of dust accompanied the vibrations of the heavier attacks. Aline and Sasha walked the corridors in search of something they could make use of.

"Listen to that, it sounds like they're leveling everything in a three block radius. I wonder how long he's going to keep going out there." Aline found herself barely talking above a whisper.

"Who knows, but I'm more worried about what's going to happen when he's run out of other titans to kill. He's like an entire company all on his own. If he ends up heading our way..."

Aline wasn't completely able to keep a twinge of fear from outlining here voice. "Let's not think about that at the moment; we shouldn't worry about the future until it gets here."

In a room on the next floor up, Albrecht and Jansen rummaged through cupboards, cabinets, and wardrobes, but to no avail. They were empty-handed so far. Jansen peeled back the curtain from the window just enough to peek out. A cold and pale sunlight filtered in through the clouds. From up here, there was an unrivaled view of the carnage in the streets. A fifteen meter titan had just had its' head punched clean off. Another smaller variant was stomped into pulp under the heels of the abnormal.

"I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but where was this thing two hours ago? A lot more cadets would still be alive if he'd shown up sooner." Jansen banged his fist against the window.

"We can't be sure of that. For all we know, he was killing our comrades just like any other titan until recently. Either way, it isn't like we can just turn back time to find out." Albrecht's voice became less than a whisper. "If we could, maybe I would have the courage to save a few of those Garrison troopers. Instead, I just had my team stand by idly as they were being eaten alive. We would've been able to; I know we could have; so why didn't I act sooner? If I hadn't hesitated, maybe Jansen wouldn't have ended up risking his life like he did. My lack of conviction should have put us in a far worse state than we ended up in." He hadn't told anyone how he felt about the ordeal despite how it had been gnawing at him every second since then. As squad leader, he had to keep everyone's morale high. How could he expect them to follow him into battle again though? Three of the four cadets in his charge had nearly died on four separate occasions since they set out that morning. Not a single one of those times did he save them either. They'd done everything so far today without even a little help from him. He hadn't helped slay any of the four titans they'd run into either. He wondered what kind of picture that painted of his leadership. His head sank low and his hands gripped a desk shakily.

"Hey Alb, are you alright? You're looking a little…off at the moment." Jansen put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, don't worry about it; I'm just fine. The day's events are just starting to catch up with me is all." The words rang hollow in his own ears as he said them, a meager façade behind which to conceal the truth he felt in his heart.

About fifteen minutes had passed by the time they were all gathering near the elevator. A score or so candles providing the only illumination this deep inside the structure. The half light cast deep shadows into the corners of the room. It was as if darkness itself was beginning to encroach upon them. What the cadets had managed to collect was a rather pitiful collection. For the most part, supplies of any nature had been scarce. They'd found a few odds and ends, but nothing they could put forward to any great effect. Anything useful was likely below them in the main part of the depot or had already been issued to the surviving units, before they fled behind the inner gate. However, when Jean and a handful of others arrived at last, they carried with them several long wooden crates; each of them bore the stamp of the Royal Armory.

"This is what we managed to scrounge up, courtesy of the military police, and covered with a layer of dust." Jean said as they cracked open the boxes. There were seven of them and each carried five flintlock muskets a piece. How they were planning on using them however, Armin had yet to clarify. Personal firearms like rifles and pistols were designed for fighting other humans and hunting, not combating titans. All the same, that kid had been called a genius numerous times before today, so he had to have an idea buzzing around up there.

"Alright, I may have a solution for getting fresh gas from the supply room. It still needs work so I'll be open for input on this." Armin motioned for everyone to gather around the building map he had laid out in the middle of the floor. "First things first, get the muskets loaded up with pellet rounds, as heavy of a load as possible and extra powder as well."

The clanking sounds of ramrods packing shot into barrels echoed around the hollow chamber. For many of them, it had been several months since they had handled a firearm. Considering the practical application of such weapons against their enemy, training sessions with them had been few and far between. Hopefully loading pellets meant they wouldn't have to worry as much about their aim. Even if they had better practice, would it really matter?

"Are you absolutely sure buckshot is the way to go? I feel like we may as well try throwing spit wads. Come on guys, are guns even effective?" Jean's comment was more of a statement than a question.

"I don't know, but they're bound to be better than nothing. From last count there will be seven titans in the supply room of the four meter variety. If we use enough ammunition they should be able to do the trick." Armin looked up briefly.

"What is this trick then exactly?" Jansen tapped the rifle against his shoulder.

"The first step; we will lower a group of us with rifles into the supply room via the lift. This will hopefully draw the titan's attention. The second step; when the all of the titans come within range, said group will fire in all directions, which will blind them. That's the easy part." Armin glanced around at the cluster of his fellow cadets. "Then comes the difficult part of the plan, the moment of truth if you will. Before any of the titans have a chance to regenerate, seven of us will drop down from the rafters and cut their napes. If we time this correctly, we'll kill all of them in one go, but without any gas, we can't use ODM gear to do it. That means we'll only have one shot at getting it done. That's the plan; it puts all of our lives on the line and if we screw this up, we're dead. It may be risky, but it seems like our best shot. We'll need the seven cadets that are best with their paring blades to deliver the killing blow. The lives of the rest of us will be riding on you guys being able to get it done. I realize that's probably a ton of pressure, but that's how it has to be." Having finished laying out his strategy, he looked a bit tense. It was definitely an all or nothing kind of plan. Everybody lives or everybody dies a fifty /fifty kind of state of affairs.

"It sounds like a good plan to me." Reiner nodded approvingly.

"When you get right down to it, the risk is the same for everyone involved. It doesn't matter who goes down there." Annie spoke her ascension as well.

"Look, I'm willing to be talked out of this. One half-baked strategy can't be the only thing we've got to work with."

"Armin, you're not giving yourself enough credit. Like you said it's our best option. I doubt any of the rest of us could have come up with this." Albrecht knelt down beside him.

"Besides, with the situation that we're looking at, this is pretty well thought out, especially for being our only option. By giving it our all, I bet we can pull this off." Marco looked at the map thoughtfully.

"You were right about that abnormal kicking all kinds of ass outside, so I don't see any reason to doubt you on this." Aline offered a rare approving smile.

The sound of metal clattering to the floor brought everyone's eyes up. Jansen had been prepping the elevator for their descent into the dark shaft below. "Alright, the lift is ready to go and guns should be crammed to the stocks. Who's ready to go kill some titans?" He tapped his fingers against the lock plate of his musket, feeling rather eager to throw some lead down range. For once however, nobody seemed ready to fault him for it. Josh actually shared his sentiment. If they were going to die today, it might as well be with fire in their hearts. It was time to get the operation underway. Thirty five of the cadets stepped onto the lift and formed a two rank circle. The effect should create a curtain of lead on all sides when they fired into the enemy. They'd know in short order whether the plan was going to work or not. As long as they didn't slip up when the moment came, everyone would, in theory, be fine. Outside the steel cage the kill team was also setting off down the stairs to the lower level.

"Do us a favor you guys, don't miss alright?" Connie called back to them.

"You either, I'd hate to embarrass you by having to save your ass in front of everyone." Jansen's retort carried across the room. A few nervous laughs rose for a moment, easing the tension just slightly before quiet reasserted itself.

"Alright guys, settle a bit, we're ready to go. Lower us, and do it at about half speed. I'd hate for the titans to be waiting for us the moment we got in there." Marco waved to one of the remaining cadets to pull the release lever. The cage lurched slightly and they slowly dropped down into the semi-darkness of the shaft. The steady flickering of the lantern above them and the creaking of the pulley chains was the only sound audible. The silence only lent to the growing atmosphere of apprehension. Most of them were probably wondering if the titans would already be waiting for them once they got down into the room.

Josh glanced around hurriedly, the waiting before a fight had gotten to him every time so far and in the tight lift passage, he felt vaguely claustrophobic. Seeking something else to draw his attention, he looked down to his right where Christa stood motionless. He couldn't tell if she was nervous or just concentrating more intently than usual. It took a moment to realize it, but the musket she was holding was about the same size as she was. At only 4'9, she only stood four inches above the muzzle. The sight of it was a little bit comical and he barely stifled a laugh.

"I can hear you snickering back there Kassy." She didn't look back at him.

"Are you sure you can use that thing? It's almost bigger than you are." He half whispered.

"You know for a fact that my size has no bearing on what I can accomplish." She looked kind of embarrassed by what he'd said.

"Sorry, I was joking I didn't mean it to come off as an insult. I'm just a little on edge in here and I'm trying to distract myself."

"You don't need to stress yourself out so much. How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying? You'll be fine, we all will."

"You're going to have to repeat it a lot more than that, you know almost better than anyone how thick headed he can be." Aline threw her two cents in, probably to try and lighten things up a little more.

Albrecht looked over his shoulder at them as the lift began to slow down. Deep down, he wasn't sure he shared their optimism. He was privately glad he wasn't in command this time around. Armin and Marco made much better leaders than he ever could hope to be. His thoughts continued to rebuke him for his shortcomings as they neared the end of the drop. Once free of the brick chute, they were able to see into the dimly lit chamber around them. The shadowy figures of titans resolved themselves out of the gloom. They lumbered around amid the stacks of equipment like golems guarding some ancient treasure. The lift creaked gently to a halt and Marco took stock of the surroundings.

"Good, looks like there's still seven of them in here." With a slight hand signal, the cadets took aim. The clicks of hammers being cocked rippling out around them. "Okay, hold it nice and easy."

One of the titans walking through the area stopped midway through its' stride. Its' head whipped around to face them, a terrible, implacable grin permanently creasing its' features. It started purposefully striding towards them and one of the cadets in the front recoiled and let out a short yelp. Marco thankfully was on top of things.

"Don't lose your cool. Remember; fire only when they're all within range. Keep it steady alright?" His words were reassuring and he held a good command presence when he spoke. Even so, anticipation was palpable in the air as the titans began drawing within mere feet of them. Josh fought the urge to wipe the sweat from his brow as his vision was filled with another of the unmoving faces.

Jansen made each of his breaths slow and deliberate, laboring as much as he could to avoid his aim shifting even slightly. His grip tightened on the small of the stock and he edged his finger down into the trigger guard. His voice was a low whisper. "Come on, that's it you bastard, just a little closer, almost there." The monster's pupil was practically touching the muzzle of his rifle. Next to him, Albrecht was trying not to show that he was trembling. His palms felt like they were coated in wax and his heart was beating out of his chest. He stared into the face of death and, with shaking hands, waited for the command to open up.

"Fire!" Marco's voice boomed out of the silence. The order was answered in kind by the report of the cadre's muskets, every shot finding its' mark in quick succession. The barrage shredded each target and the titan's stumbled back, dazed. They were open wide for punishment as planned. The group up in the rafters didn't even waste a second springing forward. They leap down from their perches like acrobats and the foe toppled one by one like dominos before the punishing assault. One down, two, three, four killed, five…Well, as the old saying goes about the best laid plans, that's when something went wrong. During their drop, both Connie's and Sasha's strikes failed to find purchase, leaving two of the monsters alive and well. Their eyes were also nearly regenerated.

"Sasha and Connie missed!" Bertolt yelled.

"Get the titans off them and lead them the hell back!" Jean cried out from across the room. Sasha and Connie were backing away slowly, looking every bit like they'd just breathed their last in this world. One of the surviving monstrosities slowly turned to face the frightened pair.

"Ah damn it." Josh fished in his pocket and retrieved a second cartridge. He wondered if anyone else had had the foresight to bring a backup load in case something happened. He quickly began reloading. "If anyone else brought more ammo with them, now would be an excellent time to use it!" The sound of clicking actions and ramrods told him that at least a couple of others had the same idea. He hurriedly packed powder and ball into the weapon and shouldered it, cocking the hammer as he lined up the shot on the titan in front of Connie. Before he could pull the trigger a hand pushed his barrel down to stop him. "What the hell, he's going to die if we don't get that thing's attention!"

"Calm down, I think she's already got it covered." Christa pointed. He followed her gaze and saw Annie vaulting a crate to deliver another precision blow. Barely a moment before it would have had Connie in its' jaws, she sliced the weak point into bloody strips of meat, neat as a butcher cutting a fine steak. The body was already steaming by the time it crashed into the floor. Connie was like a statue, unable to comprehend his stroke of good fortune. Josh rubbed his eyes, wondering if he'd really just seem that. Seven smoldering corpses now littered the ground. It seemed as though Mikasa had taken out the one accosting Sasha as well. She was on her knees clinging to Mikasa and practically singing her praises as she dried the frightened tears from her eyes. Clouds billowed up in the immediate vicinity as the titans started turning into bones and dust. An instant later Annie came walking through the smoke, as nonchalant as if she did this kind of thing every day of the week, a small bit of titan blood evaporating off of her shoulder. Josh stared and his eyes followed her as she went; his mouth was agape.

"Oh my god…that was…actually kind of hot." Aline was right for once, a girl who could swing a sword was sexy on a whole different level.

"Pick up your jaw lover boy, I don't care what's running through that head of yours, but you're going to embarrass yourself if you're not careful." She clapped him on the back.

"You really think he's worried about that after what he pulled today?" Jansen laughed.

"Is there ever a moment when you three aren't getting sidetracked by something?" Albrecht sighed. If it wasn't one thing with them it was another. At least they usually did it after the immediate danger had passed. Nonetheless, such discussions were probably best held off until they were back in the safe zone. The wall couldn't protect him from everything though. They might be safe from the enemy beyond it, but his guilt and a few ghosts were bound to follow him out of the city. Fear had nearly overcome him here as well and he was surprised to note that his finger still held the trigger firmly in the pulled position. He had to force himself to release his grip before he took a shuddering breath.

"Hey listen up, we did it, all the titans are dead! Bring the lift down here and start loading up supplies. Have everyone upstairs bring the 3D gear down; we're getting the hell out of here as soon as we load up." Jean called out from down below, thankfully bringing them back to present matters. It took a second to realize it, but their gamble had managed to pay off, and without any casualties to speak of. A wave of relief crashed over the cadets in the lift and they started laughing and smiling again. A hair's breadth of difference and every single one of them would have become naught but crimson smears on the walls. The notion was incredible. Marco looked so relieved that he was unsteady on his feet, almost falling over. It was an amusing switch from earlier when Armin had passed out seeing as he was the one holding Marco up this time around.

"I can't believe that worked." Ymir said offhandedly as she slung her rifle across her shoulder blades.

"One surprise after another today huh?" One of the other cadets said as she leaned against the support cage. "Seems like our luck is finally starting to turn around."

"Don't hold your breath kid, this is far from over you mark my words. There's plenty of time for more blood to spill before the sun sets." Despite the weight of the words, she spoke them like she was bored.

"I…suppose you have a point…but hey, worrying about what's yet to come won't do us any good…right?" Ymir's indifference seemed to have sapped the confidence from her voice.

"You really are naïve aren't you? But, who knows, maybe our luck is improving like you said? Whatever the case, we're alive for the next ten minutes or so; I guess that's reason enough to be happy." She sighed and stepped off the lift, leaving the girl unsure whether to feel good or bad about their situation.

"Don't mind her, she's like that to pretty much everyone." Aline walked past. "If she's not being passive aggressive, she's talking like a pessimist. Even if the day is far from over, things are bound to get better for at least a little while. Speaking from my personal experience, we're due for some good luck by now." Aline smiled and continued on, her squad mates following in her wake.

"That was awfully kind and considerate of you. A little bit uncharacteristically so if I'm being honest." Jansen said sarcastically.

"Maybe I'm just a better person than you give me credit for." She grabbed a few fuel tanks from the rack and tossed a pair to everyone. She perched herself on a nearby crate and took hold of a fuel line. They started refilling each of the canisters in turn from a line of large pressurized tanks.

"I guess we're good then." Josh smiled as he finished filling another cylinder with gas. "There aren't any more titans coming in and we're going to be fully stocked up on equipment."

"With the help of that abnormal outside, it looks like we were able to clear them all out for the time being. Not that I doubted our chances for even a second, but it still feels good to know we won this fight. Even if we've lost the city for the moment, I'll take living to fight another day as a victory." Jansen actually had a right to sound smug this time around. A lot of their comrades, veterans and cadets, hadn't made it as far as they had today. It was something considering the number of times they'd barely cheated death. Each and every one of them that had stormed the citadel was lucky to be alive and even luckier to be getting out of here no worse for the wear. Not bad for a bunch of greenhorn recruits honestly. Over on their right, Sasha was busy freaking out about how she'd reacted when the titan came after her. Connie was trying to shake her out of it so she would focus on escaping over the wall. A few of the surrounding troopers tried not to laugh at the spectacle.

The members of Squad Seven reacquired their ODM sheaths and hooked the fresh tanks into place. As they were strapping their equipment back on, Jansen looked over at Josh. Christa was helping him attach the motor to his back strap. It had always been a mystery to him how things had worked out for his childhood friend. If it wasn't luck, he wanted to know what it was. "Okay, I've got a question for you man. You've got the sweetest and most adorable girl in the 104th as your personal guardian angel, and you've got the coldest girl in the 104th in love with you. Seriously, how in the hell are you this good with women?" The question had been burning inside him for quite some time now.

"Well, I'm not. Christa is probably the kindest person on the planet anyway and with Annie…well I was just kind of persistent. That wasn't easy on me either mind you. I've gotten the crap beat out me like a thousand times. That and I don't go around feeling girls up all the time like a certain someone."

"Hey, it's not like I do that to everyone all the time or anything. You make me sound like I'm the kind of guy who hides in the female showers to watch girls undress." He protested rather loudly.

"You just called me adorable." Christa said suddenly.

"I should like to thin…wait, what did you say?" He stopped mid-sentence and turned halfway towards her.

"You called me adorable just a minute ago...you've never done that before."

"I haven't, really? I can't believe I've never done that." He half-laughed, the idea sounding a bit ridiculous to him. "Honestly though, are you really surprised that I did? I'm only like the thousandth guy to do so; you hear that ten times a day at least. Unless, by some strange coincidence, you haven't noticed the way everybody kind of drools over you."

"Yeah, but it's not that. It's just…this is the first time I've ever heard you use that word when you described a girl. That's also the first time that I can think of you giving a normal compliment. Usually you just take from your library slang terms or say something about their chest."

"Oh come on, you're the last girl that should be talked to like that. You're much too good to be treated that way."

"Well aren't you sweet today? That means a lot to me it really does." She gave Jansen a big hug and smiled.

"I'll be damned; it sounds like he's finally maturing a little bit, ha. Let's just hope he keeps going; I'm sure every girl in the class would be glad of it." Aline said as she fixed her gas cylinders to her rig.

"We've all done a bit of maturing after today I think. No doubt that there's more where that came from in the near future." Albrecht rose from the crate he was sitting on. "So, it might be an obvious question, but who's ready to get out of here?"

"You don't have to ask me twice. I could really use a break, my everything is killing me." Josh stretched.

"Yeah, I think we've earned a couple hours at least."

Everyone was ready and rearmed. Their small contingent, the last of Trost's defenders gathered in a hallway leading out of the supply depot. With moral soaring and a renewed sense of purpose, they open the doors to sunshine and clear skies. They could taste freedom and sanctuary on the breeze; the 104th was finally heading home.

"Are you ready people? Then let's do this!" With a collection of victory cries, the cadets flew off towards the wall. Cables whipped through the air and razor sharp steel glinted as it caught the sun's rays. With all of the nearby titans vanquished, heading for the inner gate was like taking an afternoon stroll. Squad Seven was at the rear of the exiting column, heads held high. One by one, they shot themselves across and out of the courtyard. Josh was about to do the same when by chance he glanced upwards at the roof while retrieving his launching mechanism. A small cluster of cadets stood at its' apex, Annie among them. He paused for a moment, wondering what was going on.

"Hey man, are you coming or what?" Jansen was just about to leave.

"Go on ahead; I'll catch up with you guys in a minute." He catapulted himself up onto the tiles, walking up towards everyone as he landed. "Everyone's left already, what are the six of you still doing up here?" He momentarily followed the direction of everyone else's gaze and answered the question himself. On the other side of the broad avenue separating the former command center from the nearest row of buildings, a grotesque sight was playing out in front of them. The abnormal titan whose rampage had bought them all time to escape, was pinned against a wall. Other titans had gathered around him and had begun feasting upon his flesh; tearing him apart one small piece at a time. What's more, it didn't look like he was regenerating at all. Everyone had seen him fighting his way through an entire horde of the creatures like it was no task at all. As a weapon, having him at their disposal could help turn the tide in humanity's favor, but if he died here, so did the best hope they had for a lasting victory. Luckily, it didn't sound like anyone was willing to let that stand.

"I think our choice is clear; we have to go down there and get the other titans off of him. He won't be much good to us if he's picked apart." Reiner had a determined look in his eyes.

"Are you out of your mind?! We have a straight shot out of this nightmare and you want to stay?!" Jean looked a little less collected than his comrade.

"Think about it for a second. Having an abnormal like him on our side would be an incredible advantage. Nothing we have in our arsenal even comes close to the power of a titan that likes to rip apart its' own kind." It was clear where Annie stood on the matter.

Jean was almost hysterical. "Do you even hear yourself? It isn't like he's a new friend!"

"Do you have a better idea Jean?" Josh looked at him narrowly. "If you've had a super weapon hidden around somewhere, I'm all ears."

"We have another titan approaching from the West!" Armin gestured to their front. "Oh no, that's the one that ate Thomas!"

"We have to do something before any more of them show up. We're already outnumbered as it is." Bertolt drew his blades, but stopped short of jumping from the rooftop. Something was happening. The Abnormal let out a ground shaking roar, slamming its' feet into the cobblestone. Despite the cluster of monsters feasting upon it, it forced its' way past them. They pulled and bit at him, taking his arms off one after the other. Amazingly, it paid the wounds no mind and instead charged as fast as it could at the newly arrived foe. With no way to grapple with it, the abnormal instead bit down deeply into the neck. The cadets looked on in shock as he took his crippled adversary into his maw and swung it into the titan behind like a club, reducing it to pulp. The task was obviously a strain on the creature, the ribcage cracking under the weight. Just as before however, it completely ignored the wounds. It then mashed one of the smaller ones into the street until it was but a stain. Another fifteen meter came at it from the side and the abnormal again swung its' makeshift cudgel. This time, the blow came with such intensity, the head was shorn completely off and both corpses flew into a tenement. The resulting explosion of stone and mortar crushed anything that remained. The abnormal briefly surveyed the scene before arching its' neck towards the sky and bellowing in rage. Steam and sparks gushed from the stumps of its' arms, creating a light haze. Then, as if satisfied with the results of the engagement, it collapsed to the ground and expired.

"Whatever you were saying before doesn't matter. Now it's pretty much a moot point if you ask me. Like we could've really recruited him to our cause? What kind of fairytale are you all living in? That distracted us for too long; we need to leave while we still can. We're just lucky the bastard didn't get bored." Jean turned to go, but no one followed him. Their eyes were still transfixed on the decaying body of the abnormal. He grunted and walked back into the midst of the squad. "Look, it was all very impressive, but a titan's a titan."

"I'm not sure that statement is universal anymore…" Josh was the only one to speak.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Josh grabbed Jean's head and tilted his gaze down. In the midst of the ruined mass, was the prostrated form of a human being. As the body melted further, the person inside rose up and sinew and muscle fell away to reveal their identity. Even after everything he had seen since he woke that morning and even after his own dances with the reaper, Josh Kassmeyer never would have imagined he'd see the dead rise. The person inside was Eren. That didn't make any sense. Armin had witnessed the slaughter of his whole squad and yet right before their eyes was Eren Jeager, looking as though he was in the midst of a dream. Mikasa flew down to street level and hit the ground running. Armin tried to protest, but the words fell silent on her ears. She was intent on reaching the body, she had to know if this was real. One by one, the rest of them followed suit. In all likely hood it wasn't safe on the ground, even with the fierce melee they had bore witness to.

When they reached Mikasa, she cradled Eren in her arms as she sobbed, overcome with emotion. The scene was shrouded in rising smoke. If Josh had to put a word to it, surreal would have barely done it justice. This had to be some crazy dream, or perhaps a hallucination? He felt the hairs on his neck standing on end. He cast his eyes on each of the people around him; none of them said a word. They had to grab Eren and get back up to the roof; they couldn't stay down here for much longer.

The group made it back up to the Citadel's tower as quickly as possible. Mikasa wouldn't stop crying and Armin was on the verge of tears as well. He shook as he grasped his "dead" friend's hand, unable to find the facility to rationalize what he was seeing. This whole thing defied logic on an unimaginable scale. Josh found himself thinking out loud. "I'm not the only one who's a little freaked out about this am I?"

"I think we're all a little uneasy about it. This changes everything we know about our enemy." Reiner sounded like he was trying to piece the whole thing together.

"It makes me wonder what else we don't know…" Annie's stared blankly out across the city.

Jean's voice was shaking slightly. "So uh…I still can't wrap my head around it, but…Eren did all of this?" He gazed down at the charred corpses littering the street; there had to be more than a dozen of them.

"I'm…I'm going to ask the obvious question here. How exactly do we plan on explaining this everybody…not to mention the debriefing command will no doubt have in store?" Josh addressed all of them.

"I think a better question is, what are they going to do **when** we explain it?" Reiner likely wasn't the only one thinking the worst. The implications of this little discovery were far reaching, perhaps even to the point of inciting widespread unrest across the realm.

"Hey, I see someone heading this way; it…looks like a squad from the Garrison. Have they been watching us?" For the time being at least, none of them had answers for any of the questions they'd asked. Whether or not they would even get them was another matter entirely. Either way, it was a matter for later; the Garrison troopers arrived below them.

"Cadets, we're here to escort you back to Wall Rose. The commanders have a few questions for all of you."


	11. Line in the Sand

It had been an hour since they made it back behind the inner gate. When a scathing round of questioning failed to produce any fresh information, Josh, Annie, Reiner, Jean, and Bertolt were allowed to return to their unit. That was under the condition that they keep their mouths shut. Eren had yet to regain consciousness and Armin and Mikasa elected to stay with him. The "welcoming committee" had been somewhat less generous with the three of them. What was happening however, none could say. They'd been split up almost the moment they crossed Wall Rose. Nobody put voice to it, but they all had the feeling that the higher ups would just as soon shoot Eren and the others dead before listening to what they had to say. The idea that Eren had been controlling a titan body was a hell of a lot to digest.

"What do you think is going to happen now?" Josh wondered aloud.

"Who knows…I'm still having trouble coming to terms everything that's happened today." Jean's face betrayed no emotion as the five of them walked through a series of deserted side streets on the way back to the main body of troops clustered on the main road.

"Everyone is going to ask questions when we link up with the 104th again. How are we supposed to just explain away the last hour and a half?"

"We can't and we won't. Captain Woerman said if we told anyone anything, he'd have us all shot. He's the kind of officer who executes anyone who executes anyone and everyone who disobeys or questions him. The best we can do is tell our comrades that command wanted an after action report since we were the last ones out." Reiner grimaced, clearly not expecting that to hold up if anyone inquired further.

"I don't like it, but I can see where he's coming from. This has quite a few people scared and everyone is already on edge as it is. The last thing we need is for something to stir things up more." Annie brushed her hair back behind her ear. "I just hope someone has a plan in the event that panic spreads."

"The way plans have been working out today, I think we'd all be better off if we just roll the dice and see what happens next time around." Josh wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or not. It had been a long morning and they were all more than a little bit tired. On top of that, Josh's body was starting to ache all over again. Since he'd had to fight his way out of that titan's mouth earlier, he'd been running on an adrenaline high that was now ebbing away faster by the minute. The pain was only getting worse with each step he took; it crept into the deepest areas of his body and claimed dominion over him. Slamming into the side of your enemy's head at full speed wasn't noted for being kind to any of the bones or muscles in your body. It didn't seem to matter what your reasons were. It had only made matters worse that he had pushed himself in the time since the collision. His pace began to slow as bolts of pain quickly began stabbing him in the ribcage. It was like a hundred white hot knives were twisting themselves around inside him. He doubled over and fell to his knees on the cobblestone.

Annie quickly went to his side and began looking him over. "What's wrong, you look like you're about to collapse." There was an edge of panic in her voice that she was trying desperately to suppress. She felt as though he might up and die at any given moment, especially if death played by the "third time's the charm" rule of things.

"Don't worry about it. I just got a few bruises from earlier that are starting to hurt again; I can walk it off. " He managed through gritted teeth and shallow breaths. When he tried to stand, he fell for a second time.

"That has to be a lot more than just a few. Let me have a look at them." He tried to protest, but there was no changing her mind about it. She propped him upright and lifted his shirt halfway. His entire right side was a dark shade of purple. She ran her hand over the area, gently applying pressure to check for fractures in his ribs. Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be any, at least not any full ones. Regardless, he'd still suffered considerable damage to his abdomen. The stress of the impact could have easily resulted in him rupturing one or more organs. "This has got to be some of the worst bruising I've ever seen. You may not have broken anything, but there's bound to be both tissue and nerve damage. If you'd hit the thing going any faster your bones might have ended up inside your lungs."

"It looks a lot worse than it is. The pain isn't that bad if you ignore the occasional spikes."

"You really shouldn't be trying to play tough guy at a time like this. This isn't something you can just ignore and hope it goes away. We need to get you off of your feet and have you rest a while. Hopefully we can get you something for the pain too. Don't be stubborn about this alright? You've given us all way too many reasons to be worried about you already today." Annie eased him gingerly onto his feet and held him steady. It was obvious that he was struggling to stay upright even with her help. Reiner ended up having to support Josh as well. The sooner he was at the aid station, the better.

Back at the rally point, everyone else was anxiously wondering where Josh and the others were. Sitting still and waiting for orders gave you plenty of time to think, about everything. So many soldiers had been eaten and killed already; who was to say a few more names hadn't been added to the roll call of the dead? Christa was pacing back and forth nervously in hopes of keeping the more negative thoughts out of her mind.

"I swear to god he said he was going to be right behind me; I have no idea where he could be. I'm sure he's fine though whatever's going on." Jansen was trying to calm her down despite being worried himself.

"It shouldn't be taking him this long. What if he got stranded or worse, what if he's hurt?!"

"Relax for a second. We know he's with Annie at least, so he's probably fine. I wouldn't be surprised if those two are off getting busy somewhere. So stop pacing back and forth like that, you're giving me anxiety." Aline was lying back on top of a wooden crate.

Connie was taking a drink from his kit. "Well isn't he lucky? I suppose having two near death experiences in one day might give you some perspective on your priorities though wouldn't it?"

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who's worried about him right now?" Christa was trying not to sound hysterical.

Jansen put his hands on her shoulders and held her in place. "We're all worried about him, but freaking out isn't going to do us any good."

"I'm not worried about him. I'm not worried about any of them honestly. They're all capable soldiers. Aside from that, Josh is with five of the top ten cadets in the entire unit. Even if he drops the ball, at least some of them will have his back." Ymir still sounded like she was really bored by the whole affair. Her words of encouragement were more likely for Christa's benefit than because she believed them or even cared that much. Despite her attitude and frequent apathy, Josh had still referred to her as more likable than Jean on a day to day basis. "At least she's not an arrogant prick." Is how he'd put it at the time.

"If you all remember, he's not really in the best of shape right now. We're not even sure of the extent of the injuries he sustained this morning."

She sighed heavily before speaking. "Alright fine, if he's not back in five minutes…I'll help you look for him." Everyone's heads turned to Ymir. Aside from Christa who looked like she was about to cry, the rest of the group looked confused. "Oh for God's sake, I'm doing it for Christa. Otherwise, what's going on with Kassmeyer doesn't concern me in the slightest."

"I guess having a blackened heart is still having a heart right?" Connie said sarcastically.

Christa hugged her tightly. "Ymir thank you so much I could kiss you right now." She probably didn't realize the implications of what she'd just said. It was an unspoken idea that Ymir, as with a huge number of other cadets, had an enormous crush on the sweet little blonde girl. Unlike the rest of them however, she tended to try and claim dominion over Christa like nobody else was even worth the time of day. This was much to the chagrin of even the object of her affections.

"Oh, well you don't have to, but if you're offering, who am I to say no?"

"Ymir you're so funny. I don't know how nobody else sees it." Christa smiled sweetly. Whether she genuinely thought Ymir was joking about kissing her was anybody's guess. That or perhaps she just wanted desperately to have more friends that didn't have a crush on her. Regardless of the intentions behind it, the gesture had calmed Christa down considerably. That only lasted until Jean's group showed barely a moment later with Josh in tow and on the edge of consciousness. They laid him out on a crate and propped his head up in Annie's lap. She relayed his condition the best she was able, and reiterated several times the importance of seeking some modicum of medical care. Everyone they had asked was too preoccupied or unwilling to give them directions so far.

"So where is the aid station located; where is the hospital corps?" Reiner had been looking around for both for quite a while now.

"We don't have one and all of the available wagons have only been taking those with the most serious injuries. Anyone who wasn't dying was given a couple bandages and told to sit it out for a while." Albrecht said from under the shade of an awning. "All the doctors and surgeons that might have been in the city probably lit out with the rest of the civilians towards a safe zone a couple dozen or so kilometers behind the line." Despite the pressing need for medical personnel, who could blame them for running as far away as they could get? Many of the soldiers were of a similar state of mind. Quite a few people were understandably worried that the events of five years ago were destined to repeat themselves today. It was hard to think about anything else when there was nothing more to focus their attentions on.

"So how bad is he?" Christa asked as she sat next to Josh.

"All we know is that he's in a lot of pain and he has a bruise the color of plums all the way up his right side. He collapsed a couple of times on our way over here, so we had to help keep him on his feet." Annie ran her fingers through his short, dark hair. There was calm but deep concern in her eyes. His breathing had become slightly ragged and he winced every time he inhaled. "He must care about you a ton to put himself through this kind of hell. Josh really does think of you as his little sister."

"He cares about all of his friends; Josh has always been that way. He may act like goofy when we're all just hanging around, but when it comes down to brass tacks, he'll have someone's back always. If he's willing to do so much for me, I can only imagine that he'd brave even the fires of hell itself for you."

"Well…the day isn't…over yet…give me a chance and…I just might." Josh rasped out in between his shaking breaths.

"That's enough out of you mister. Don't talk right now, just focus on resting." Annie sighed and looked around. There were only a small number of buildings on the outskirts of Trost and none of them were likely doctor's offices. Most such services were well within the city proper and there was no getting back in there for the time being. It wasn't all that likely, but there might be something of use in one of the nearby houses; something to make him feel at least marginally less pain. "Since there isn't an aid station, we shouldn't risk moving him very much for a while. That said, we may be able to find some supplies if we scrounge around a bit. Christa, take anyone you can and look around for some morphine and ice. If you can't find any morphine, then at least the ice will help to bring down the swelling around his ribs."

"Right, we're on it." She grabbed Jansen by the arm and scooped up Aline on her way by. Ymir trotted along after her and the four of them vanished into the crowd. The rest of Jean's group found places to sit and took water. There was also a bit of bread still lying about. It wasn't much, but it would help keep their energy up a little longer.

"So where have you guys been all this time, what happened?" Connie turned to ask Jean.

"As much as it's rubbing me the wrong way, I can't go into it. Command slapped us with a gag order once we were behind the inner gate."

"Seriously, that's crazy, what in the hell for and where are Mikasa and Armin?"

"Like I said, gag order, but the officers are the crazy ones if they think people won't start talking. Word's going to get out, and when it does…well, that's if any of us live that long."

"I can't imagine what you all saw for HQ to be so worried about it."

Jean looked over at him. "Even if we could tell you, I'm not sure you'd believe us. I'm still having trouble believing any of it." Though they hadn't given much real information, Jean's words had gotten some people thinking. When people are given the bare minimum of intelligence to go on, they start developing ideas of their own. The mind can be a treacherous ground when confusion, doubt, and insecurities are allowed to run rampantly. It only takes a moment before something far worse than any possible reality comes plowing through the smoke and fire of the imagination. Such imaginings often produced fear in high concentrations; and when you have a large concentration of people in one place, fear gains a voice that can quickly generate panic. The question wasn't whether or not such fear would strike, but when it would do so. When it did, it would need to be isolated and snuffed out, or the already fragile morale holding military discipline in place would fall to pieces.

Albrecht Johannes went over this notion again and again in his head. Were it not for his friends' relative composure in spite of the circumstances, he was sure he'd have already broken down. Constantly recalling his failures that day certainly wasn't helping things either. Before this morning, he was convinced that he was someone who could lead soldiers into battle. He was by no means sure of that anymore. When they'd faced their first titans, he'd been counting on Jansen objecting to being left out of the attack plan. It had given him an excuse to stand on the sidelines and out of the fight. He was scared and knew he wasn't the only one to be so, but how could he spout platitudes about victory and duty while his best friends were doing all the fighting as he watched. How did he have the nerve to reprimand Jansen for making a decisive call to go into the fray when he couldn't? Hesitation was the greatest killer of soldiers on the battlefield. Everyone around you was put at risk if you couldn't or wouldn't do your job. Nobody had taken notice as of yet, but deep down inside, he felt like a worthless coward. Albrecht gritted his teeth and suppressed a tear as he slammed his fist into the wall.

"Everything will be okay man, you know that right?" Bertolt manifested himself.

"That's easy for you to say; you're actually worth a damn to everyone."

"Being scared doesn't make you worthless. Every single one of us is afraid and fighting to keep our fears in check."

"Oh…right…**that's** what you meant, of course." How could he have possibly thought Bertolt was talking about anything else? In spite of the large crowds of people nearby, Albrecht was starting to feel completely alone.

As the afternoon ground onwards, word was beginning to make its' way around the regiment that they might be going back into the city before the day was out. There weren't any concrete orders or strategies in place as of yet, but just the idea itself was starting to create whispers of concern, especially among the cadets of the 104th. Many of them had barely escaped the city the first time around and being asked to go back in was an almost unreal request.

Christa and the others had returned by this point, bearing a sparse collection of medical supplies. It had taken them some time, but the search had been fruitful. Luckily they had managed to find a little morphine, and a syringe to boot. The ice that they'd collected was wrapped up in a cloth and pressed gently against Josh's flank as Ymir drew up the medicine. When he protested about her giving the injection, the general reasoning, among everyone else anyway, was that she was the only one not concerned about hurting him on accident. She did a remarkably good job of it honestly. She was quick and clean about the whole thing; he barely even felt it. It was the first time he could think of that she had done anything nice for anyone but Christa.

"I guess you could say I've come to respect you a little bit after today. You've either got stones for days or you're insane, but you seem to get shit done when your mind is on it. Besides, kicking you while you're down just isn't any fun." She'd said when he'd asked why she'd been caring enough to do it.

"Maybe Christa is right, you're not as bad as you seem." Josh smiled weakly.

"Don't get any ideas that I'm the same kind of person as your girlfriend here. I'm just looking out for my own interests. You'll owe me for this at some point anyway."

"If you're trying to say Annie is completely soft then you've got another thing coming. She can still kick all kinds of ass thirty ways from Sunday." He laughed, wincing a little as pain throbbed inside of his flank.

"Alright sweetheart, stop talking for five minutes and relax. You can try and defend my shattered reputation when you're feeling better."

Just as the unease was starting to dissipate for a moment, the sound of cannon fire echoed in the distance. A single shot followed by an explosion. The rest of the guns on the wall remained silent. That didn't make any sense, why would there only be one; what the hell were they shooting at? Maybe it was an accidental discharge? A few hundred meters away, smoke was rising into the sky…on **their side** of the wall. There was so much of it, way more than even the highest level of explosive shells would have produced. The only other thing that could have made that amount of smoke and fire was…no that was impossible. It was coming from over by the water gate, the sturdiest part of the entire wall. There was no way a titan could have broken through there…right? They'd been proven wrong before though. The existence of the Colossal and Armored titans had been completely unknown to humanity until five years ago. No one could have imagined that such creatures existed. That ignorance had cost them Wall Maria and twenty percent of the human beings left on the planet. A number of soldiers were starting to panic as questions went around from company to company. Somebody had to know what was going on.

Reiner was staring off in the direction of the blast, his features betraying intense anxiety. Jean was standing next to him, fear and curiosity fighting for dominance over his thoughts.

"Is that…please tell me that isn't titan steam…not now." Had all of their efforts that day been for nothing? They had to see this for themselves. Someone had to get eyes on whatever was happening. Reiner grimaced and headed for the rooftops with his 3D gear; a bad feeling was welling up inside of his gut. Jean tried to halt his advance, but the words went unheard. He swore and took off in pursuit, Bertolt passing him on the way up.

"Something tells me that this involves you know who." Josh tried to rise from his spot, but Annie stopped him. "Hey, let me up. We have to see what's happening!"

"No, you're staying right here. You aren't in any shape to fly right now. **I'll** go and check things out. Christa, you make sure he doesn't move from this spot while we're gone." She kissed Josh and ran off after the others. He didn't even have time to protest any further before she was well out of earshot. If any of the rest of them had wanted to go, they didn't say.

"What did you mean just now when you said this might involve you know who?" Jansen looked down at his friend.

"Gag order, that's all I can say regrettably. Even if I could tell you, you wouldn't believe a word of it."

"You guys are all starting to sound like you work for military intelligence or something." The comment sounded sarcastic, but the look in his eyes said differently. This need to know basis junk was starting to make him feel uneasy. Jansen was nothing if not concerned by whatever was unfolding on the other side of those buildings. His friend's comment was definitely implying something big was at work here. Why was it being kept a secret from most of them? How much was at stake because of that information?

Several blocks to the east, at the site of the detonation, one look would have answered most of those questions. A thick haze covered the area at ground level, steam rising from the center of the grey murk. Jean, Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt stood about a block away on a rooftop, surveying the scene. A full company's worth of Garrison troopers were flanking the clouded plaza at a ninety degree angle; Captain Woermann was at the apex of the formation. They stood cautiously as they waited to see if they artillery strike had done its' work. As the shroud began to lift however, it was clear that the result was far from what they had intended. A face of bone with a single eye revealed itself. The partially muscled remains of a torso manifested themselves beneath the head in short order. It was slumped over with the stub of an arm outstretched above it, like it had been in the middle of grabbing something prior to its' subjugation to cannon fire. A number of the soldiers arrayed before the aberration recoiled in horror.

"What in the hell is that?" Reiner wondered aloud.

"It looks like a half decayed titan corpse. So if this is what they were shooting at, where did it come from?" Jean was tense.

"I think we're going to get an answer for that if we stick around a little while." Annie said without looking at him. Everyone had their eyes glued to the scene before them. It seemed that shadowy figures were moving around in the cloud of steam, dust, and sparks. They were inside the corpse's ribcage. It wasn't clear who it was as of yet, but there was an idea or two regarding the subject. Said ideas only gained more traction as a third figure joined them out of nowhere. Shortly thereafter, the skeletal remains began to crumble and dissolve. In the courtyard, the nervous troopers waited for some sort of command to act.

"Everyone, maintain your distance! All squads remain on full alert; the beast could strike at any time!" Captain Woermann was shouting, his voice holding a panicked edge. "Tell the artillery crew to get that cannon reloaded!" Despite his ranking as an officer, he wasn't doing a very exemplary job of staying level headed under stress. Someone from the supply team had relayed the story that the "good captain" and his retinue had abandoned headquarters in short order, leaving the frightened cadets alone and defenseless, allowing titans to swarm the building with little resistance. That decision had ended up needlessly costing a number of lives. As he rattled on with his commands, the skull of the titan decoupled itself from the spinal column and crashed to the dirt, kicking up a black cloud of ash and dust when it shattered. It wouldn't be too long before the same had become of the rest of the body. The longer the ones inside the smoke waited to act, the more likely it was that the situation would continue to deteriorate beyond any of their ability to control.

"If who I think is down there** is** down there we may need to act accordingly. We can't just let them be executed. If they die here, we may lose any and all hope of trying to turn all of this around." Reiner gripped his blade handle tightly. He paused when the sound of metal impacting the cobblestone echoed up from within the dark cloud. A moment later, Armin came sprinting out before skidding to a halt with his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

"Is this supposed to be your true form monster? I'm not buying it and I will give the signal to fire; I mean it!" Captain Woermann was gesturing around erratically.

"Eren is not a foe of humanity! We're willing to cooperate with military command and share everything we've learned about his powers!" Armin looked like he was shaking.

"So, this is where they've been held up since we got back?" Annie whispered to herself.

"I've got a feeling this is about to get a whole lot more complicated." Bertolt kept his eyes fixed on the captain.

"You pleas fall on deaf ears! Eren Jaeger has revealed himself as a titan and because of the threat he represents to us all he cannot leave here alive! If you continue to insist that he is not our enemy where is your proof?!" whether Captain Woermann was angry or just scared was not yet clear.

"You don't need any proof! It doesn't matter how we may perceive him; the reports say hundreds of soldiers saw Eren in his titan form. That means they saw him fighting other titans and those that were there saw him get cannibalized by the titans as well! Don't you understand what this means? It means that the titans saw him as their prey, the same way they see each and every human being! Regardless of how you may look at it, that is an irrefutable fact!" The end of Armin's speech left a momentary gap of complete silence in its' wake. Soldiers began murmuring amongst themselves and weapons were slowly being lowered. The kid was smart, he knew what to say and how to say it exactly. His plan had saved them all in the raid on HQ two hours before. Against the odds, he was managing to convince their would be executioners of a better alternative…but not all of them.

"Prepare to attack!" Woermann's voice boomed. "Do not let yourselves be swayed by his cunning lies! The titan's behavior has always been a mystery to us! I wouldn't put it past them to assume human form and he's speaking our language in an attempt to deceive us! I…I refuse to let them continue this bearing unchecked!" Just like that, it was back to square one. Rifles were raised and cocked; swords were raised, and a bloodbath was surely eminent. The captain's fear had taken control from his sense of reason and he was keen on striking down the three young cadets.

Annie and the others looked on in disbelief, unsure if or how to intervene. If they did nothing, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa would be slaughtered. Even if they did go to their aid however, that wasn't likely to stop someone as blood mad as the captain was at the moment. If the four of them died in the process, what then? All of their friends would likely be marched right back into the meat grinder with no tactical plan to speak of, and all of their efforts would have been for nothing. That's when Armin did something completely beyond what anyone had thought he had the courage to do. He clasped his fist against his chest and began shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I am a soldier! I have dedicated my life to preserving and restoring the human race. I would be proud to give everything for such a noble cause! If we were to use Eren's titan ability and combine it with the manpower we have left, we can and will retake this city! For the glory of humanity, and with what little time I have left to live, I will advocate his strategic value!"

"Whoa, I didn't see that coming." Jean was in shock.

"Captain Woermann, this is worth considering at the very least sir. If there's even a grain of truth to his statements perhaps we…"

"Silence!" He cut off his subordinate in mid sentence and began raising his arm to signal the cannon crew to fire again.

"Damn it, he's made up his mind it looks like. We have to do something." Reiner drew his blades. "If we can cause a distraction for a moment, they may be able to get over the wall or slip away in the canal for a moment." He had turned to face them, determination in his eyes.

"Wait, I don't think that's going to be necessary, look." Annie pointed down to the courtyard. An older man with a bushy mustache had stopped Woermann's hand before he could give the order to the artillery. He spoke in a soft but commanding tone, in a way that instantly made you want to listen. This was no ordinary man however. He was one of the highest ranking individuals in the armed forces. Countless military honors adorned his uniform and a crimson sash denoted his seniority. He calmly began giving orders and sending runners to relay messages to the other company commanders. The man had wasted no time in starting to get things organized. From what it looked like he was even arranging to discuss the situation with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. The siege of Trost was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

"Oh my God, that's the commander of the entire Garrison Regiment. That's Dot Pyxis."

When Annie and company returned to the rest of the 104th only a few moments later, word was already getting around and the battalions were forming up in the square. The officers were no doubt putting some sort of bold plan into place for the continuation of the engagement. To her surprise and chagrin however, Josh was up and moving again, ice pack still clutched to his side. He was still being stubborn. Christa was following in his wake, trying to get him to at least sit down, but he wasn't having it at the moment. Whatever was driving him today didn't want to stop.

"Kassy come on, just because the morphine is working doesn't mean you're magically healed or anything. You can and should sit the rest of the day out." Christa was sounding agitated.

"A little muscle cramp isn't getting me out of doing my job. If you guys get deployed, I'm going with you. I'm not bleeding, nothing is broken, and I'm not dying, so I refuse to sit here and be worthless while everyone else is out there risking their lives."

"We don't even know what's going on yet, maybe they plan on letting the Garrison handle the rest of this? Besides, if you're injured it's not the same thing as neglecting your post. If you drop in the middle of an engagement what would we do?"

"I…damn it I don't know. Stop worrying about things that haven't happened. I may have had a hard time of things today, but they're doubtless going to rotate units off of the line come nightfall; I can hang in until then." Josh stopped and faced her. "You told me this morning that we all had to stick together to come out of this. I put every ounce of my trust in you guys and right now I need you to believe that I can hold my own until the job is done."

"I guess she and I have both had to deal with how ridiculously hard headed you are." Annie sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Sometimes I think you're trying to worry me to death."

"Yeah, I suppose I should cut down on that. You can scold me all you want when the day is over, I promise." He kissed her cheek and gave her a hug. "I also promised you that I wasn't going to die today, come hell or high water; too many caskets have been filled already and I refuse to be added to the list of names." It sounded a little cheesier than he'd intended it to, but he said what needed to be said. It wasn't going to stop them from worrying, nothing would at this point, short of him sitting things out in the rear. He was going to catch all kinds of hell for this later, but that was for when the last blood had been split, not before then.

The cadets joined the loose formation of soldiers, whatever the plan was, it was almost time to let them in on it. Though the details hadn't yet been laid out, the majority of those present had an idea of what they were going to be asked to do. The plan, at least in some regard, involved a counterattack to try and wrest Trost from the titan horde now swarming within it. Even the best prognosis for such an undertaking was grim at best. Commander Pyxis had called his staff officers to gather so that the operation particulars could be put into action. When that was done, the personnel briefing would begin. It would take a lot to convince the already battered soldiers that reclaiming the city was not only necessary, but feasible as well. Scores of titans were milling around just on the other side of the inner gate with more coming into the city proper by the hour. The general consensus among the rank and file was that anything but a staunch defense of Wall Rose was delusional at best, and suicidal at worst. Even if they managed to drive out the titans inside the city now, that still left the problem of the enormous hole in the outer wall. It was a gaping wound that they had no feasible engineering capabilities to shore up; the whole thing would be pointless. Doubts had been mounting upon doubts since the civilians had been evacuated, and now, with this certain death mission looming ahead of them all, something was going to give. Someone was bound to buckle sooner or later, and their panic would be infectious.

"How do they expect us to do this? We don't have any equipment that could even begin to seal up the gate. If we did, that kind of construction job would still take days or weeks to accomplish. That kind of time luxury just doesn't exist." Jansen was baffled by the whole idea, not that he wasn't eager to jump back into the fight.

"Someone up top probably wants this done to get their name in the papers. This is all just a bunch of political BS that is being pushed through from the interior." Aline was more **annoyed** about the plan than anything else. So, was there any real purpose to sending any of them in there again? What could it possibly accomplish? They might as well drop everything and leave right now if they were throwing their lives away on the whim of some arrogant bureaucrat. Just then, someone started screaming.

"We're dead, we're all gonna die! I just want to go home and see my family!" It was coming from a few rows behind them. A nearby officer stepped in to try and silence the cries.

"Stop shrieking like a sniveling coward! Are you trying to give me the impression that you're a liability?"

"Sir, please, we're being marched off to an early grave like lambs to the slaughter!"

The officer pulled a blade from his sheath and stared down the whimpering cadet. "Are you to good to sacrifice yourself for the good of humanity, or should I cut you down right here as an example to your comrades?"

In response, the cadet pulled forth his own blade. "Do what you gotta do…I'll take it over being fed to the titans any day! I don't care what you do; I'm not going back to that nightmare!"

It had taken Josh awhile, but he figured out who it was. The one screaming had to be Daz. It wasn't the first time he'd lost it today and it probably wouldn't be the last. He was a piss poor excuse for a soldier and more than one of his comrades was probably dead because he was too scared to do his damn job. He was dealing with no worse than any of the rest of them had to, but he hadn't the composure to deal with it. His response to stress was always to panic until he was blue in the face. The biggest problem was, given the current situation, people were starting to whisper to each other in agreement. Presently, he had something of a point; you can't really blame someone for not wanting to get eaten alive.

In the midst of Daz's panic attack, more and more cadets were fracturing under the weight of their own fears.

"If he keeps screaming like that, he's going to psyche everyone out and then we're screwed; everything is going to fall apart." A female cadet stood next to her two friends.

"So, who do you think is going to have a nervous breakdown next?" one of them asked.

"I don't know, but Trost isn't the way I wanted to go out." The third girl said quietly.

"You want to run that by me again cadet?" An officer with a deep voice stopped next to them.

"I swear, I was only joking sir."

He leaned in and whispered. "Say it louder, scream it at the top of your lungs if you have to. You think everyone else is keen on going with this stupid plan? Stir up a distraction so I can get out of here." The girl started shaking.

"Sir, what's going to happen if we leave? There won't be anyone to defend the gate if the Armored Titan shows up." The first girl said.

"We're going to die for sure if we stay here Ellie! We didn't go through all of this just become fodder!" One of the girls grabbed her by the shoulders, on the verge of tears.

"We're soldiers, there was always the risk that we might end up losing our lives. If we go now, the titans will probably steamroll through the inner gate and then every last person is going to die. That sounds a whole lot worse than taking our chances here."

"Besides that, we're inside of walls, where exactly are any of you going to go?" Jean was behind her. The officer looked him dead in the face, dark shadows covering his face.

"Look man, I just want to go and see my daughter. We're all dead anyway right?"

Elise looked like someone had just hit her. "So you'd rather hide and just wait for the titans to come and devour you and your kid?"

"Jean, Elise, you're not hearing what we're saying. We lost, that's all there is to it. Trost is history and we may as well give it up." The shaking girl was starting to cry too.

"This is my home. I was born and raised here, so was my family. More than a couple of us can say the same about this place. Eventually, we're going to run out of places to light off to. I'm not dying today, but I'm sure as hell not going to just run away from everything for the rest of my life."

Elise was rather surprised by the comment. Jean, to her knowledge anyway, was always a guy that didn't care about anything but covering his own ass. Then again, he did lead the majority of them to HQ and safety earlier. Circumstance can bring out the best in people on occasion she supposed. Just a short distance away, Daz was still railing on about everyone's eminent deaths.

"Every last one of us is as good as dead, but if you're going to kill me just do it and get it over with already!" He was practically just a bundle of nerves by this point.

"Shut up, don't think I won't you damn coward!" The officer was having a hell of a time trying to calm him down.

Josh was starting to get fed up with the ramblings. "If Daz doesn't put a sock in it, I swear I'm going to kick his ass. He's been saying this kind of stuff all day and I can't take it anymore." His fingers were twitching on one of his blade handles.

"That's not going to help anything, people are already freaking out enough as it is without us killing each other over words." Christa looked back at him with something between sadness and fear in her eyes.

**"****ATTENNNTIONNNNN!"** A loud voice boomed from on top of the ramparts and the assembled troops froze in place. Nobody talked, nobody moved. Everything had just stopped. Commander Pyxis stood silhouetted against the cerulean heavens above them. He looked like he might as well be ten feet tall, a man with a giant of a presence on the field.

"Soldiers, take note; the blueprint of the Trost recovery operation is as follows. Our primary objective will be to seal the hole in Wall Rose. That is correct, what's more, this task will be done manually." The moment he said it, jaws dropped and everyone was looking at him like he was insane.

"Seriously? That's completely impossible, we don't have the technical knowledge or gear to do it. We'd have a better chance trying to make friends with the titans." Aline glanced around at her friends and comrades hoping that someone realized that the commander was joking. He had to be.

"As for how the task will be completed, that is where this young man comes in. Allow me to present to you all, Cadet Eren Jaeger." A realization slowly crept into Josh, Annie, and the cohort that had recovered him earlier. As for the rest of the cadets, they weren't sure how to take what they just heard.

"Wait, what? Eren's alive, but he's dead right? That's what Armin said before didn't he?" Connie spluttered as he tried to fathom what he was seeing.

"Josh…do you know something about this?" Christa looked up at him worriedly.

"Just wait, things are about to get weird."

"It gets weirder than someone suddenly coming back from the dead?" Sasha's voice crackled a little as she tried to hold in her surprise.

Pyxis continued his speech. "Do not let appearances fool you, this fellow is in fact the successful product of cutting edge science. Fantastic as this may sound, Cadet Jaeger possesses the ability to fabricate and control a titan body at will." Everyone looked back at Josh and Annie, hoping for some kind of answer or explanation. Even better, someone to smack them and tell them they were dreaming.

"I know it may sound like it, but he's not kidding. Everything he's saying is true." Josh kind of looked off into space, feeling kind of awkward with everybody staring at him.

"The abnormal that was fighting right outside the supply depot…that was Eren." Annie added.

"Okay, now you're just screwing with me. It was very funny, but you can stop now." Jansen laughed nervously.

"Before you say anything else, I just want you to know that I can only take a certain amount of surprise in a given day before it overwhelms me." Aline looked like she might pass out.

"Just brace yourself, it'll be getting just a bit more intense in a second."

"If you will recall the massive boulder that lies about a league from the gate; once he has assumed his titan form, Cadet Jaeger will hoist the boulder onto his back, transport it to the hole and plug the breach. This is where all of you come in. Your job will be to defend him at all costs. Yes, you must defend a titan against his own kind!" Pyxis paused, perhaps done with his mission plan. Whispers were floating around the battalions arrayed before him, awe, disbelief, shock, you name it. How was someone supposed to take this? It was however, creating a small well of hope amongst them all. Humanity might finally have an advantage, something to stem the tide. For some of them though, panic still reigned supreme over their minds.

"They're lying! I'm not getting drawn into sacrificing myself for this crap! We're nothing but disposable tools for you people, you expect us to live and die by whatever the hell comes out of your mouth!" Daz was still in the midst of his manic episode. Now Josh really wanted to kick his ass. They had almost swayed everyone; they would've had the morale to get the operation off of the ground. Now, that hope was gone, snuffed out like a midnight candle.

Soldiers started turning to leave, first one or two, then a handful, then a score of them. Elise's two friends hurried away with the flow of deserting troopers, leaving her with Jean and Bertolt. She couldn't believe they'd just run off without so much as a second thought. At this rate, everything would just disintegrate. Half of the brigade looked like it was going to up and leave. In his own place in the formation, Albrecht was fighting down the urge to follow suit and cut out while there was still time. As long as his friends didn't see him it was okay. The only thing keeping him rooted at this point was his shame. To leave now would be the ultimate act of cowardice, the ultimate stain on his soul. A tempest of conflict raged inside him, both sides fighting for control.

Captain Woermann was taking note of the exodus of troops with increasing anger and alarm. He drew forth his swords, ready to strike down every last one of them. "Traitors, I'll kill you where you stand; treason is answered by death!" Pyxis had heard the comment and responded in kind.

"Anyone wishing to leave, will by my personal order not be charged with treason! Those who have witnessed the barbarity of a titan first hand will not be expected to revisit such horrors again! Anyone to whom this applies may leave with my blessing. Additionally, those with family and loved ones they would spare from the same horrors is welcome to leave. The crown will continue to recognize your service; thank you and good luck!" Family and loved ones they would wish to spare from the same horror…The phrase echoed around inside the heads of every one of those soldiers who had turned to leave. The vast majority of them stopped dead instantly. The weight of the words sunk into the depths of their souls. Spare their families and loved ones from the titans…spare them from the horror of being eaten alive. So much had been taken already, and now, if they abandoned their posts, everything would be lost.

"They're all…coming back? They're all headed this way again." The cadets of Squad Seven watched as the entire situation flipped completely. The eyes of those who returned were no longer shrouded in fear; they bore the fires of purpose and resolve. Fists were clenched and teeth bared, the sense of motivation was changing more rapidly than it had fallen apart just moments ago. Josh shared a wry smile with Jansen. Pyxis was a damn good at changing people's minds. Even when they were leaving, he'd had their full attention. Now it was time for the motivational part of his speech. Hundreds of soldiers, young and old, recruits and veterans all awaited his words.

"I want all of you to think back four years ago to the operation to reclaim Wall Maria. You all deserve by now to have your suspicions confirmed regarding the event. Though the government officially labeled it reconnaissance, it was little more than a purge. A thinly veiled exercise in population control, pure and simple. The citizens of the interior sustained themselves on the wholesale slaughter of the refugees that came to us for help. We all share the guilt for this; we turned a blind eye to it because their deaths allowed us to survive. Though turnabout is fair play is it not? If Wall Rose falls victim to the titan advance, the lands within Wall Sina would not support half of the people now living. If the human race is destroyed the titans will no longer be the culprits let me assure you. We will have done it to ourselves. If we don't draw the line here, it won't be drawn at all. Comrades, brothers and sisters, we carry the fate of humanity with us. If our time has come, if we must lay down our lives to secure a future for our people, then let us die here!" Those words carried with them a power that to this day, no commander has been able to match. Commander Pyxis knew the soldier's burden in his very core and he had singlehandedly galvanized the hearts of every human being within earshot.

Jansen was trembling, the anticipation of the coming action reaching a peak within him. A manic smile was growing on his lips and he spun his handles around on his fingers, the time was nigh. No more defensive engagements, no more turning tail and scattering before the foe, no more bitter defeats to mar the memory of the fallen. Now, they were going to advance. They would push the line forward, reclaiming human territory from the titans for the first time in history. They had merely resisted before, steadily losing ground to an unstoppable juggernaut, but never again.

Josh dropped his icepack into the dirt and withdrew a blade into his left hand. He eyed his reflection, and the reflection of his comrades in the face of the cold steel as the afternoon sun cast beams of radiance off of it. Every single one of them bore a look of extreme determination. He had to check a second time when the image of Albrecht presented itself in the metal. His friend slowly pressed his way to the front of the group. He had made his choice to stay and hold the line.

The words of the commander rang out in the deepest fibers of his being like beacons of redemption. This was their chance. Their chance to make good on the promise to Sergeant Tanzerin, and his chance to prove he was the leader they had all thought him to be. Only when next they faced the enemy would he truly know where he stood. He had to do this; he owed them all at least that much. He clenched his fist tightly and brought forth his weapons. Behind him, the others did the same: Aline, Christa, Jansen, Josh, Connie, Sasha, Annie, and even Ymir surprisingly. Behind them, swept up in the moment, others too drew arms, dozens of them. He marveled at the sight; it was something straight out of the hero stories of ancient times. The eyes of his comrades burned with an intensity he had not thought possible. It was now time for humanity to bite back. Albrecht cleared his throat and spoke as authoritatively as he could.

"Cadets of the 104th, we have been granted this glorious opportunity to be a part of history this day. The lives of everyone we love and the memories of everything we hold dear to us will lend us strength in the coming battle. As of this moment, the titans will no longer hold sway over the fate of mankind; **this is our world!** Josh, if you wouldn't mind doing the honors once again?"

"I was hoping you'd ask me that." A broad grin flashed across his features. He stole a quick kiss from Annie as he lifted his sword high into the air.

Ymir sighed heavily. "This is so stupid and cliché, but hey, why the hell not."

"I always love this part of the pep talk." Christa smiled and did a flourish with her sword.

"Brothers and sisters, men and women of the 104th, once more unto the breach, forward once more for victory…**WIR SIND DIE JAGER!**"

The cry was answered by the thunderous roar of scores of combined voices shouting as one. **"WIR SIND DIE JAGER! We Are The Hunters!"**

Up on the battlements, Dot Pyxis thoughtfully stroked his mustache and smiled thinly. "Wir sind die jager eh? I rather like the sound of that."


	12. Out of the Ashes

The sun had begun to dip lower towards the horizon, casting a deep orange hue across the breadth of the cityscape. At first glance, the sky itself would have seemed to be burning, a blood red sunset to commemorate a bloody day. There was still much work to be done before darkness settled on the land however.

After the commander's inspiring speech, and that of the cadets, company commanders set about the task of assigning objectives for each of their platoons. For many, if not most of them, it felt strange to be preparing for an offensive operation instead of a defensive one. It was an operation that even should it succeed, was bound to be costly. The only thing anyone could hope for was that they'd still have enough people to bury the dead when the dust had settled. There did seem to be hope however. Armin, ever the brilliant strategist, had suggested that instead of taking the titans head on, they could lure them to a single area of the city. The idea was to open as clear of a path as possible for Eren to move the boulder. The fewer titans that had to be dealt with as he advanced the better off they were. In turn, having all of them in one spot would enable the artillery corps to pick the enemy off with sustained cannon fire with minimal losses to their own units. Invariably however, that hinged on them being able to get the titans to congregate where they wanted them to, and on no more of them marching through the breach before it was closed off.

Even if the plan went smoothly however, they'd never manage to corral all of the titans within the city. To that end, a team of the Garrison Regiment's most elite soldiers was attached as Eren's personal escort, an all important task, but one nobody envied. The individuals within that squad would really have the pressure to succeed weighing heavily on them.

As for the cadets of the 104th, they had other things to be worried about. Let the elite squad do their job. The cadet squads had been divvied up under the command of Garrison section leaders. Under this direction, they were responsible for both bringing the titans to and keeping them at the northwest corner of the district. So far, that was going well enough.

"Am I the only one who finds this both exhilarating and terrifying right now?" Jansen asked his friends as the members of squad seven hung from the side of the wall, their cables the only things keeping them from falling into one of the many clutching grasps below them.

"Exhilarating is a very strong word to describe this situation, terrifying…maybe not strong enough." Aline was looking down anxiously. They'd all been dangling there for the last ten minutes or so, just watching the creatures reach out for them hungrily. It wasn't exactly an encouraging sight to have to look at.

"Well, this is a hell of a lot less dangerous than rounding them up in the streets. We just have to stick it out here until we have as many of them in this corner as possible. After that we can sit back and let the big guns do the hard work." Albrecht didn't seem particularly perturbed by the current situation. Honestly, he was still impressed that he'd had the fortitude to stand his ground and come back into Trost.

"That and Christa doesn't have to get on my back about taking it easy if this is all we're doing." Josh said not entirely to himself.

"Well someone has to look after you when Annie isn't around. It might as well be me." She looked at him sternly, but she barely concealed a soft smile beneath the veneer. That was Saint Christa for you. They continued on amongst themselves, idly chatting to pass the time, but remaining fully alert on the off chance something happened. Thinking about it, it was kind of odd that they were casually having conversation while playing carrot on a stick for the titans. Only a little while longer, then they could head topside again. Jansen had expressed hope that they'd be lucky enough to see Eren transform into a titan when the time came; it was bound to be quite a show. The special operations team was already en route to the boulder by now. Once they reached their objective, it would be a game of speed. If the enemy managed to get a hold of Eren before he'd made it to Trost's outer gate, everything and everyone was screwed.

One small mistake today and the human race wouldn't survive the summer. That kind of pressure hung over each and every soldier like a dark shroud. As commander Pyxis had said, this was where the line in the sand had to be drawn. The whole affair was so extraordinary that it could have been a work of fiction. Josh could have written half a book from all of the noteworthy events of the day; this was history and heroes in the making.

From the point of view of someone reading a book, that's how it all would sound. A soldier dying in the heat of battle was much more of a valiant and noble idea when you hadn't actually seen it. Maybe it had been more so in a different time, with a different enemy, but not here.

There had to be at least two hundred opportunities for a "noble death" writhing down below them in a huddled mass. A handful of the troops present had already been granted such a demise. They'd been picked clean to their bones after either slipping on their triggers or not hauling themselves up high enough to be out of grabbing range. One of those who'd fallen victim to such a fate had it particularly bad. He was easy to see from their vertical position against the fortified masonry. Had the poor bastard been just a couple of feet higher, he wouldn't have suffered the fate that he had. A fifteen meter titan had a hold of him and he tried to escape with his winch. Unfortunately, the forces pulling him up, and those pulling him down were of equal strength; something had to give out at some point. So after a moment or two of intense panicking, his legs were ripped from his torso. His stumped body flew up to a position several meters below the edge of the parapet while his limbs stayed behind. Misfortune had even put him in such a position that no one could cut his cable to put him out of his misery. He just swung back and forth, shrieking like a banshee until he bled to death. The little decoy operation that was going on here hadn't proved as bloodless as had been hoped. Despite doing their best to avoid direct combat during this part of the operation, the casualty figures had still risen to twenty percent and all of those were killed in action. Considering the number of troops present, that was a grim prognosis. What's more, things were only going to get worse the longer they had to be the bait. For everyone's sake, especially those who had died to get them this far, Josh hoped to God that this was going to be worth it all in the end.

"Hey look! I see green smoke out that way." Someone was gesturing to the southeastern portion of the district. The special team had made it to the boulder.

"I guess that means it's time to get up the wall and watch the fireworks." Aline sighed with relief and started pulling herself up. "I wonder if anybody brought wine and cheese for the occasion?"

"If this was Wall Sina maybe, but I doubt we'd have anything to drink to if things were that bad." Albrecht pulled his trigger and started walking up. They'd reached another clearing in the woods for a moment, but none of them were out yet. At the top, hundreds of anxious people watched and waited with baited breath and crossed fingers. Each second that passed was feeling like an eternity, even though they couldn't have been standing there for more than two minutes.

Out of the sky, an isolated storm of golden lightning struck down amongst the maze of streets. The flash of electricity glowed brighter than the low hanging sun and a plume of smoke billowed up from its' point of contact with the ground. There wasn't a single soul among the onlookers that wasn't struck with fear and awe. It may have been hard to tell from this distance, but they could just barely make out a form rising out of the inferno.

"Wow, it looks just like what happened when the Colossal appeared. Its' hard to believe Eren can pull a titan out of nowhere like that. Where does all that lightning come from, and why?" Jansen sounded mesmerized.

"Yeah, its' really something isn't it? There's no reason to celebrate yet though; this could still go wrong a hundred different ways." Josh whispered the second part of the statement to himself.

"If what we saw earlier is any indication, the kind of power he wields in titan mode is almost incomprehensible; I'm amazed he can control something like that. Still, would have been nice to know about this before everything went pear shaped." Aline propped herself against one of the cannons.

"I wonder if he'll start kicking ass again once the rock is in place." Albrecht sounded hopeful.

"If he manages to move it you mean; nothing has happened yet. We don't know jack about the limitations that he has to deal with. For all we know, he may not even be willing to try." Ever the optimist, Ymir threw her two cents in. Her negativity was off putting, but it wasn't misplaced in this regard.

"I can see another smoke signal! It's…wait…it's red. What happened over there?" Someone shouted from within the mass of soldiers.

"Told you something would happen; I saw this coming a mile away." She snorted.

"Did we have a contingency in place for this? I can't see what's happening over there." Pyxis' aid looked back at the commander for an answer.

Another of the officers near him came in over his shoulder to speak. The man's tone was disconcerting. "At best, that means the escort squad has run into a major issue sir."

"My friends, they all died for nothing. I should've known things would turn out this way." One of the cadets had quickly sunk back into depression.

"There's no way we're retaking Trost now; we might as well give up on it." A Garrison soldier dropped their gear and slumped against a crate.

"Now now, calm yourselves. We cannot assume the mission has failed, not yet. If there's been a delay, we need to ensure that we buy our comrades enough time to see the operation through. We must keep the titans near our position. If they started spreading out into the city again, there's no telling what might happen. Send a couple of squads down into the streets to push them back over here. If any of the wayward creatures can't be returned to the flock, we'll have to ensure we kill them before they can reach Jaeger." Pyxis tried to steady everyone's nerves. Panic had already proven itself a potent enemy on more than one occasion, so it had to be culled before it could take root. The commander had always been one to remain collected under fire.

"Sir, all due respect, but we should revert back to defending the inner gate. If you give the order now, the elite squad will still have time to withdraw without incurring any losses."

"No, that isn't an option any longer. Those leading the elites are capable leaders and they have leave to decide whether to withdraw or now. Such a decision is not up to us. All we can do is keep the enemy here as long as we can. This was an all or nothing strategy and we all knew it. Even if we cannot seal the gate, we have to stand our ground and fight until the last man; that is the debt that we owe to our fallen comrades." Pyxis' held his stony gaze on the field before him.

Jansen was continually impressed every time the commander spoke. "That man is the master of motivational speeches. God knows how long we'd have lasted if Captain Woermann had stayed in command."

"I really wish fate would decide whether we should be optimistic or depressed already. This constant up and down of yay there's hope, no we're screwed, yay there's hope, no we're screwed, is really starting to agitate me." Reiner grumbled.

"Well then, let's keep our fingers crossed that things stay positive this time around." Connie stared blankly towards the rising plume of crimson. The commander believed that they could salvage this operation. Perhaps something in his gut told him that they could do this. Even so, at least one of the soldiers wasn't keen on just stalling for time.

"Hey Armin where are you going?!" Marco shouted as the young soldier went sprinting off down the wall.

"He's headed for Eren where else? Whatever he's thinking of doing though, I hope he does it fast." Josh looked off after him.

It wasn't long after Armin left that orders started coming down for the squads being sent into the streets. Unsurprisingly, the cadets made up a sizable portion of the contingent. For one reason or another, the officers in charge seemed fond of utilizing them at every possible turn. Whether it was because they were viewed as more easily expendable or the idea was to provide them with combat experience was up for debate.

Down within the city proper, Annie had been attached to an intercept squad with Jean, Ymir, Elise, and a handful of others. They scuttled through alleys and through buildings; looking for any place they could get the drop on a titan. The name of the game was still luring, but the cadets were free to act on at their own discretion and engage if the situation demanded it. Annie peered out onto the street, checking to see what they all were up against. There were three of them, two seven meters and a fifteen. At least by first glance, none of them seemed to be abnormals, which tipped the odds much more in their favor. Still, these were the only ones they could get their eyes on at the moment, there were bound to be others in the neighboring blocks. As if on cue, three four meter titans came lumbering out from behind an inn building to the right.

"Still waiting on our luck to improve are you?" Ymir glanced down at Elise.

"We have a way to seal up the gate, that's an improvement. It may be a more long term improvement, but that's beside the point." She wished that there had been a short term part to it as well.

"Yeah, because that red smoke signal they fired off a little bit ago means that plan is going flawlessly, right?"

"They'll figure it out and get it done, I know they will. With what Eren did earlier, I have no doubt he'll manage a rock no problem. At the very least we've been lucky enough to make it this far today, right Annie?"

"I don't really believe in luck. We have our cards handed to us and how we handle what we've been dealt is the measure of the outcome. Take everything as it comes, one minute at a time if you have to." She was still looking around the corner of the building. They had to get moving soon or the titans would find them. With six of the monsters out there within reach, divide and conquer sounded like the best option going forward.

The sergeant that had been attached to command the squad seemed to have the same idea. "We're going to split into three groups of four. We won't be getting out of this without killing one or two of these ones. That said, I don't want any of you trying to be heroes out there; no unnecessary risks are we clear?"

"Yes sir." The cadets answered.

"Alright, Kirstien, Leonhardt, Nadzieja, Ymir, you're on team one." He rattled off the assigned groups, attaching himself to the third. "The four meter titans are closest to our position, so we'll focus on them first. After that, we try to pull the bigger ones in our direction. Be ready to move on my signal." The sergeant raised his hand and began counting down from five. When the last of his digits had retracted, the squad sprinted from their point of cover and scattered. They moved with such speed that the assault was able to blindside the lumbering trio of four meter titans. Some of the cadets were firing their hooks the second they laid eyes on their targets. The sound of cables whipping through the air was followed closely by the song of metal rending flesh from bone. The first kill went to Jean, the second to the squad commander, both of the monsters felled in rapid succession. The third one evidently had better reflexes than its brethren however. It grabbed the cadet striking at its' nape in mid flight and incidentally crushed another underfoot as it turned. The two of them hadn't even had time to realize what was happening before they were slaughtered. The same couldn't be said of their teammates who lost their composure almost instantly.

Annie took to a nearby rooftop and leapt down, striking the surviving titan's neck while the remaining members of team two stood there in a stupor. Once she recovered, she grabbed one of them by the collar and smacked him across the face.

"Get it together you idiots. If you can't lock it down and get the job done, go back to the wall. The only thing you'll accomplish here is getting yourselves or someone else killed."

"S…sorry, I…I just…I'm." She smacked him again.

"Excuses aren't going to cut it right now! Look me in the eye and tell me whether you can do this or not!"

"I…yes, yes I can." He was shaking, but sounded sure of himself.

"Does she usually hit people and is she always this calm about it?" Elise whispered to Jean.

"I can't really say for sure one way or the other. I'm not really sure who anyone really is after today." That was a fair enough point all things considered.

"Look alive cadets, we still have three more to take care of! If you sit still for long you'll wind up a few limbs short of a full set." The sergeant ran past them and moved up onto a nearby rooftop; his charges shook themselves off and followed suit. Hopefully they didn't take many more casualties before they made it back to safety.

"Can you see anything yet? What's happening with Eren?" Christa asked Alb. Despite Squad Seven being at their high vantage point, it was almost impossible to see what was going on. Fighting seemed to be intensifying around the vanguard team's position, but from the look of things, Eren hadn't moved an inch in the last ten minutes.

"I knew this was going to happen. This is a bunch of bullshit, a false hope they made up so they could shove us out there to be massacred. We're dead, all of us; this is the end." Daz was freaking out again, filling the air with all of his defeatist words. This time, Josh went over the edge; he couldn't take the crap anymore. He stomped over to where the recruit was in the midst of falling even further to pieces.

"You need to shut your damn mouth Daz. I've had it up to here with your pathetic mewling today."

"You don't know what I've seen man, otherwise you'd be saying the same thing I am."

Josh let out a low growl and punched Daz square in the face. "**You** have no idea what **I've** been through since this morning. I've nearly died twice and I've seen people butchered in the most brutal of ways. Unlike you however, I kept moving forward instead of cowering in the back and crying like a child. You've done nothing but try and find an excuse to run away and give up since this whole thing started." He grabbed Daz and hoisted him up to eye level, baring his teeth. "I should do the army a service and throw your worthless ass off of the battlements right here and now. I doubt anyone would fault me for doing so."

"You can't do that…you…you wouldn't!" There was a deep rooted fear in his eyes that said he thought the exact opposite.

"You told that officer earlier that you'd rather die than be forced to go back and fight the titans; what's to stop me from making good on your wish? Your friends and comrades laid down their lives to get us here, and you're only concern is saving your own miserable hide. Yeah we might die out there, that much is true, but if I'm going down I want to make damn sure I'm remembered for standing alongside my friends until my last breath. So either form up or shut up, because I won't suffer one more moment of your fatalistic ramblings, you get me?" Daz nodded his head vigorously and Josh dropped him back onto the flagstones. He walked back over to his friends, letting the rage melt off of him. They were all staring.

"Don't give me that look guys, come on. I **did **say I was going to let him have it if he didn't stop with all that doom and gloom crap."

"I was actually worried you were going to throw him off the wall." Jansen laughed.

"I'm glad you didn't Kassy, you're a better man than that." Christa looked disappointed by his behavior, but relieved he hadn't taken it any further. He couldn't blame her; she never solved problems in a violent or aggressive way, so she was bound to take issue with that approach. Such moral purity was a rare virtue in this day and age. He hoped that the cruel nature of the world didn't destroy her gentle spirit somewhere along the line. Humanity needed more people like her.

Josh sighed and sat down on a box. "Honestly, I don't know that I am. I wanted to, deep down I wanted to pummel him into nothingness. There hasn't been much hope to cling to and he seems keen on destroying what little we have."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments. There was either nothing to say, or so much to say that they couldn't put it into words. The sounds of warfare on the evening breeze echoed in the silence, singing out balefully to the soldiers of Trost. It was a sad, yet somehow beautiful song, a slow symphony of defiance raging against the tide of fate. Down on the ground however, the streets were anything but quiet.

"It looks like we'll be on our own from here!" Annie called out to the surviving members of her squad. Five of the other cadets had been killed and their commander had just been swallowed whole. The half dozen of them that remained were sprinting for their lives, more titans following only two score meters behind them.

"This is just great; we're never going to catch a break today are we?" Jean glanced to their rear momentarily, cursing under his breath.

"We don't have enough people to keep running interference for the elite squad; we need to pull out!" a cadet named Erik frantically shouted.

"Just keep running we're almost close enough to scale the wall." Ymir yelled back at the rest of the group. When the devil is on your heels, that isn't something you need to be told. One of the titans reached out to grab them, its' gnarled fingers trying desperately to grab onto its' next victim. The cadets dove whichever way they could to avoid being caught under the giant's hand. It seemed to grunt in frustration when it couldn't get a hold of any of them. It started lumbering forward at a faster pace, swinging its' arms left and right wildly. Was this one an abnormal? Elise glanced back at it, fearing it was about to overtake them, and she tripped. She wasn't able to stop herself from falling to the ground. She looked up in terror as the monster extended its' arm towards her. She covered her head and closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the end.

"Elise, Get out of there!" Jean shouted. He grimaced and shot one of his grappling hooks momentarily into the back of the titan. No one was going to die while he was in command, not this time. "Over here you big dumb bastard!" That got its' attention.

"Jean, what in the hell are you doing?!" Erik turned on his heel.

"Just run, all of you get going! I'll be right behind you!" He took off down an alley way, their quarry right on his tail. "Elise you better not make me regret this!"

She got back up, not quite sure she believed what he'd just done for her. "We can't just leave you here alone!"

"If you don't move now, the other titans will be right on top of you. Just go damn it, I'll be fine!"

Elise almost protested, but Jean was already out of earshot. She clenched her fists and anxiously ran off after the rest of her comrades. Running as hard as she could, she broke contact with the street and flew upwards. Everyone else had already begun the climb. Their quintet scaled the wall, letting out a collective breath once they'd touched down at the top. The two other cadets, Erik and Alex, seemed especially relieved to be back in relative safety. Elise was the last one among them to land. She turned to shout something down at Jean, but he was nowhere to be seen. Where was he coming up at? There was no way it should be taking him this long to pull out. She looked down to where they'd been and saw him running from the titan that had nearly eaten her. For some reason he wasn't dodging it, just doing his best to outrun it, but why? Titans were starting to seep back into the area without anyone keeping them corralled. He should have made a break for it by now. If he didn't, the opportunity would be lost entirely.

"Jean is still down there, but why isn't he using his rig to get up the wall like we did? He said he'd be right behind us right?" She didn't want to think about the obvious.

"I don't know, maybe his gear is malfunctioning or something. I'd hate to be him right now if that's the case." Ymir said offhandedly.

The weight of such an implication fell on Elise like a sack of bricks. "We gotta go back and help him!" She made to jump back down, but someone grabbed her before she could leap, pulling her back.

"Are you serious? We just got out of there! Not to mention that's the second time we've had to escape the streets today!" The cadet named Alex was looking at her like she'd just hit him.

"So you're suggesting we sit by and let him get chewed to bits?!" She pulled away from him and walked back to the edge of the wall.

"Don't start freaking out on us Elise; we can't just rush back in there headlong. We're going to have to fight our way to where he is and we'll need more people for that." Annie was keeping a level head more than either of them. She'd **mostly** avoided panicking today and starting to lose it now would just unravel any hope of saving their comrade. "We have to get some help rounded up in a hurry if we want to get to Jean before **they** do."

"Who's going to volunteer to drop into the hornet's nest to save a single cadet?" Erik sounded incredulous.

"I can think of a few crazy people." Ymir muttered under her breath.

"I have a few individuals in mind for the job." Annie nodded and ran off to fetch some reinforcements. Not a lot of members of the 104th would go into the fire for someone, let alone Jean, but despite overarching opinions about him, she was sure that Josh and the others would come with them. Well, provided Josh was capable of doing so. Earlier injuries considered, he wasn't likely in the best of shape for this, but he wouldn't likely stand by while everyone else went with her. Sitting still wasn't something he was overly fond of doing.

It only took her a moment to locate them. Even surrounded by a mass of other soldiers, they stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Guys, we need your help."

"Annie, where'd you come from? What's going on?" Albrecht did a double take.

"We took too many casualties during our mission and we had to pull out. There's a problem though; Jean's ODM gear stopped working before he was able to get back here. He's stuck at street level running from the titans by himself. We have to go back and get him, but we don't have enough people on our own. Some of the titans have wandered into that area, so we'll have to fight our way to his position. We have to hurry; the enemy is closing in on him they'll be too many of them to deal with before long."

"Having to go in and rescue Jean? Ha, that's classic count me in." Josh laughed.

"How many times do I have to say it? You're not really in the condition to go into combat. You need to rest as much as possible before you suffer any permanent damage." Christa stepped in front of him, looking defiant.

"He's not going to listen to you this time either. If we take off without him he'll just follow us, no matter what we say or do. Just save your breath." Aline put her hand on Christa's shoulder.

"As much as I don't like it, Aline's right. I'd rather he sit this one out too, but I doubt even I could dissuade him. Whatever happens today, he'll end up paying for it tomorrow. This is all going to catch with him, when it does, maybe then he'd be willing to take a breather. If not, I'm tying him to a bed and putting him under guard." Annie narrowed her eyes at Josh.

"Is that really the only thing we can do, wait until tomorrow?"

"We don't have the time to stand here and argue with him, so unfortunately yes, that's likely how we're going to have to play this."

"I'll be careful. After this, you won't need to hold me prisoner; I'll stay off of my feet for a while of my own accord."

Christa looked around, seeking at least one of them to back her up on this. To her chagrin, everyone else had resigned themselves to trying any further. She'd been outvoted again. She looked up into Josh's face and folded her arms. "You're getting your wish this time, but you're on thin ice with me mister. If you even think about doing anything remotely strenuous tomorrow however, I'll chain you to the floor for the next month. Just…do us all a favor and stop giving us so many reasons to worry. I swear, you're going to turn me into an old lady before the week is out."

"You won't have to force me; I promise I'll find an infirmary or someplace to rest. Now, let's go and save Jean-boy eh?"

"Just be nice to each other this time okay?" Annie sighed. "What's left of my squad is gathered up just a little farther down the wall. With any luck, we can still make it to Jean in time." The six of them took off. Hopefully ten was a large enough number to get the job done. It should be as long as everyone kept their wits about them.

When they made it back to the others, Elise was pacing around anxiously. It was evident her concern was mounting with each passing moment. Her relief was even more so when she saw that Annie had some help in tow. Now they could make sure Jean's selfless act hadn't condemned him to a cruel fate.

"Is everyone good to go?" She asked.

"As good as they're going to be probably." Ymir said in monotone.

"Okay, so how exactly are we playing this?" Albrecht looked at Annie.

"We'll take the whole squad and come at the titans from behind. Once we close the distance, we will split up into twos and strike their weak points in quick succession. Cutting ankles or behind the knees is preferable; only go for the neck if you have a perfect opening. After we've done that, we grab Jean and get the hell out of there before the wounded ones have enough time to recover. If his gear is still malfunctioning then we have to carry him. The only things that are going to matter here are being fast and agile. Any questions, no? Then let's do this." She took the lead and stepped off from the wall, her blades already in her hands.

The rest of them followed closely, keeping a tight formation as they landed one by one on the rooftops. Each of them hit the ground running. In the direction where Elise had seen Jean, the forms of seven titans, all of them at least ten meters, stood out above the surrounding buildings. That was way more than ten of them could feasibly deal with on their own. On top of that, they were beginning to move off in their own directions from one another, so the systematic attack plan that had been devised wasn't going to be as smooth as they had hoped. They'd have to try and bypass a few of them and focus only on the ones closest to Jean's position. It was likely that a surprise attack would still work if their attention was elsewhere.

"Break off into your pairs, evade the titans in the front as best you can! Half of us go left, half of us go right!" A tower loomed up in front of the cohort. Using it as a balancing point, the cadets swung themselves in arcs around its' flanks. The height of the structure allowed them to dip low toward the street and gain the momentum to slingshot themselves over several blocks of buildings. This put them practically within strike range of their targets in one maneuver.

"Alright, we're past their vanguard, now we need to kill the other three while they still have their backs to us." The five teams moved swiftly, closing the gap in seconds. With their blades drawn, they struck at any weak spot they could get a good look at. Each blow could be seen as nothing but a blur, a glint of hard steel followed by a red mist. They must have cut each creature a combined total of thirty times in the span of forty five seconds. In the aftermath, the swell of evaporating viscera gave the appearance that everyone's swords were on fire. It would've been a grand visual piece for a painting Josh thought. Despite all that he had seen, he was still unconsciously trying to put some kind of art to whatever he was experiencing at the time.

"So where was it that you saw Jean?" Erik asked Elise anxiously. She gestured down a side street toward what looked to be a tavern. They made for the structure with all possible haste. The group rounded a corner to find a large rock in the middle of the road and a seven meter titan stomping slowly in their direction. The lot of them dove for some form of cover: low walls, overhangs, doorways, anywhere to get out of sight. The beast looked around, sniffing the air. Could it smell them? Maybe there were dead bodies nearby and it could smell the blood? This wasn't an ideal spot to engage from, but if they had to, so be it.

Annie raised her hand to give the signal to attack, but there was a loud rumbling sound, like a violent roar that seemed to shake the very ground. The titan turned in the direction of the noise and left. The cadets looked around, slightly confused by the sudden departure.

"Where in the hell is it going?" Jansen scratched his head.

"I've got no clue, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let's find our wayward compatriot and go." Alex said quickly. No sooner had the words left his mouth, Jean came sprinting out of the building and knelt down behind the large rock.

"Hey, speaking of horses, there's Jean." Josh stood up.

"What did I say before about being nice?" Annie looked at him crossly.

"Right…sorry, not the time I know."

"So…what's he doing over there?" Aline raised an eyebrow. There was the sound of metal clanking against metal. The group ran over to the boulder and clustered around it. Jean was wresting a set of 3D gear from the remains of a half flattened cadet. He jumped back when he noticed the sudden appearance of his comrades.

"God, you guys scared me half to death; don't sneak up on me like that. What are you even doing here?" He wasn't sure whether to be happy or upset.

"We came back to rescue you." Elise smiled.

"That was a hell of a risk you know. I'm grateful for it, but you shouldn't have. I'm not having anyone die today on my account."

"Well that doesn't matter because we're here now. Get your gear on and let's light out, the titans could come back at any time." Ymir still sounded bored.

"I wonder what got them to pull away in the first place." Albrecht said quietly.

"Maybe we'll get a chance to see once we off this street." Christa offered.

"We might be needed wherever they were going, so let's hurry." Even though many of them wanted to head straight for the wall, that was a good point. They were likely one of the only groups in a position to respond to whatever was happening. There weren't very many possible options to consider in that regard. There was only one thing that would likely be drawing attention like that. If the titans were headed for the elite squad and Eren, time was really of the essence. They never seemed to have quite enough of that today, despite the fact that it felt like it was passing one minute for every hour.

Once Jean had everything situated, the cadets started moving. They could hear the rumbling again. It was deep, like distant thunder rolling across the plains. Something big was happening, that much was already obvious. A proper vantage point was needed to get a clear look. Christa suggested going to the roof of the merchant guild headquarters. It sat on a rise near the canal bisecting the east side of town. It should be the perfect place to take stock of things. They went up the back side of the seven story structure. When they emerged from the building's shadow and the town lay before them, they were greeted with a sight that topped everything else they'd bore witness to since the sun rose. Slowly and almost mindlessly, they stepped forward, their eyes all fixated on the same thing.

"Holy shit…" Josh couldn't find the facility to say any more than that.

"Well…I'll be damned." Annie sounded similarly surprised.

"That has got to be one of the most badass things I've ever seen." A broad smile was breaking on Jansen's face. A few hundred meters from their position, with a massive cloud of steam billowing off of his back, Eren Jaeger had the massive rock straddling his shoulder blades and he was moving steadily towards the gates of Trost. He…was doing it. That rock was bigger than he was and he still managed to pick it up.

"I think I know what got the other titan's attention." Even Ymir sounded like she was surprised.

"Ha-ha, I can't believe he did it, that he's doing it. Hell yes! Finally, we're going to win a fight for once!" Erik was practically jumping up and down, punching his fists into the air.

"We haven't won this yet. He still needs to make it to the breach and seal it. If he gets swarmed before he gets there, a lot of lives will have been lost for nothing. We're too close to let that happen to us this time; that's not how it's going to go down, I refuse to let it happen. Draw your iron people, let's go save the human race!" Albrecht took off down the side of the building. He had to ensure that they saw this through. This was his chance to redeem himself and make good on his promise to Sergeant Tanzerin. It was time to do something heroic instead of just talking about it like some blowhard orator.

"It's time to kick some hard core ass!" Jansen did a swan dive off of the roof and followed his friend. The others shook off their surprise and followed suit in short order.

"I want to know how he's so good at those on the spot motivational speeches of his." Aline chuckled to herself.

"I guess we all have some kind of special skill. Alb's a great talker, Josh is a writer, Jansen is courageous, Annie has her combat skills, and you…have um…you have…" Christa was trying to come up with something for Aline, but was failing.

"Never thought I'd see the day when Christa couldn't find a good compliment for someone." Josh was suppressing a laugh.

"Either that or I've got too many skills to name. I say we just go with that option." She tried to cover her embarrassment and agitation.

"We should save the jokes for after we save the world if you ask me." Jean sped past the three of them.

"Yeah, they'll be funnier when we can give them our full attention." Ymir looked at Aline and smirked.

The members of Squad seven, along with their mixed cohort of friends and comrades sailed across the tops of buildings and through the streets. All humor aside, conviction had swelled in their breast and they were determined to see this through. A chance to break the titan advance like wave upon the rocks was something that had never before presented itself to them. Now, not only had they glimpsed it, victory was within their grasp. This was the time to seize it.

They all followed in the direction of Eren's steam cloud; where he was, the enemy was also. The scene worsened the closer they got to the gate. There were bodies and blood everywhere, titan and human alike, but it was clear who was taking the heaviest of the beating. The vanguard force had most likely lost more than fifty percent of its' number and casualties were still mounting. It was getting to the point where there were almost more titans than there were soldiers to fight them. There had to be a full score of the ugly SOBs plodding around over there. Twenty titans, twenty monsters who'd come to raze this city to the ground, twenty aberrations that were going to pay dearly for every soldier who had fallen in its' defense.

"Engage! Not a single one of these bastards leaves this square alive! Help the Garrison troops defend Eren, no matter what it takes!" Albrecht yelled back over his shoulder as he swung himself into the clearing in front of the gate. A five meter titan stepped in front of him, a menacing smile on its' face. He scowled and rolled between its' legs, cutting both Achilles tendons. Before it hit the ground, he climbed up its' back and shoved his swords into the nape and severed the piece of flesh. The breath felt heavy in his lungs and he could feel the blood rushing through his veins. His heart was pounding in his chest and his whole body was shaking, he felt good, strong, alive…

The other members of the squad were now in the fray as well. The sound of singing blades rang out almost nonstop and cables cracked through the air like so many whips. Gore was beginning to cover everything in sight. Aline and Jansen executed a perfectly timed dual strike against a pair of seven meter titans. They cut them on the eyes before wrapping around the necks to cut them off. They'd just managed to slay two titans by themselves and there were plenty more where they came from. Jansen had that crazy look in his eyes once more; his fiery passion for soldiery glowing brighter than ever.

Jean, Elise, Erik, Alex, and Ymir were busying themselves with a trio of fifteen meters that were busy swiping at a handful of Garrison troopers. The latter of which seemed thoroughly shocked to see them.

"What the hell are you cadets doing here? I thought they had the 104th stationed at the wall." One of the soldiers rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"We're here to do our damn jobs. That breach has to be sealed whatever it takes and you guys have taken quite the hit. We need to consolidate what forces we have left." Jean helped the man to his feet and struck at the ankles of an incoming titan, knocking it over. The number of vanguard troops remaining was dwindling by the second and without the elites, there would be too many titans to handle alone. His squad mates were moving like they never had before. Despite fear, pressure, and lack of prior experience, they were performing most admirably. Each swing was precise, each maneuver executed in perfect rhythm with the enemy's attacks. Eventually however, they were going to get tired. He just was hoping they ran out of things to kill before they ran out of stamina. If not, this was going to get even more intense and bloody and he had planned on living to see victory.

Eren was nearly at the start of the final approach to the breach. He was moving slowly, but steadily forward. The immense weight on his shoulders no doubt inhibiting his movement considerably. He was getting much closer though, they would only need to hold their ground for a few more minutes. Josh and Christa had just knocked a fifteen meter titan to his knees. It fell into a nearby house, throwing up chunks of tile and masonry around it. As it made to rise again, they performed the crossing attack that they'd practiced so many times at the academy. As with this morning, they struck hard and deep enough to cut the head of the creature clean off, taking the nape with it in the process. That was the fifth one they'd worked together to bring down today. The two of them were proving to be quite the lethal and efficient duo.

Josh wiped his brow and popped his knuckles. "Not bad, all things considered. I think we're doing alright."

"Yeah, no kidding. Even though we're just a bunch of green recruits, we're fighting like rabid dogs out there. I'm worried about Alb though, he's going full bore into this a little too hard." She said as they jumped down onto the back of a ten meter who was chasing a Garrison trooper. The two of them landed right as it was about to pounce on the man, hitting at such an angle that they rode its' head straight into the cobblestone, grinding its' face down to nothingness. Christa casually finished it off with a swing of her sword. The two of them looked across the ravaged little battlefield they were vying for dominion over. It was a savage display of people who had their backs to the wall and nothing to lose. This was a true look at desperation. They all had an overwhelming desire to see this through to the end and every moment of training and focus was being granted them for this one engagement. One could almost see it happening in slow motion.

It was then out of the corner of his eye that Josh caught sight of something. On a roof less than a block away, Annie was slowly being encircled by a group of titans. Whether she was aware of the fact or not didn't matter. She was alone and she couldn't fight them all. Despite her amazing strength and skill, she was still only human.

"Christa, I'm going to back up Annie, go stick with Alb and make sure he doesn't slip up. None of our comrades should be fighting alone right now."

"I'm on it, just be careful alright? Winning this wouldn't mean much if we lost you two in the final moments." The two of them tapped their blades together for good luck and separated.

He ran as hard he could, vaulting a merchant's stand and catapulting himself up onto a house before sprinting and leaping towards Annie's position. There were three titans around her, blocking any route of escape she had. She was slicing off the digits of any hand that fought to grasp her. With the titan's ability to regenerate appendages and heal wounds however, this was a very temporary solution. When they couldn't grab a hold of her, they tried to flatten her with their palms, but she acrobatically dodged numerous killing blows. She had moves and agility like nobody else in the world. As she contended with two of them swiping at her consecutively, the third's fingers were nearly repaired and it had begun to reach out for her in the one moment where she couldn't shift her attentions.

"Oh like hell you are; three titans against a single soldier is hardly a fair fight." Josh attached his hooks to the shoulder blades of his target and sped towards it with a righteous fury burning inside of him. He poised himself to deliver the killing strike and his swords bit deep at the moment of contact. The force of the impact sent the titan crashing into the house's chimney, scattering the bricks like shrapnel from explosives. It twitched for a moment, then slumped over dead. "And another thing, only assholes have to gall to try and pick on my girlfriend." He spat on the corpse and jumped down to stand with Annie.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here." She said as she back flipped out of the path of another swipe. "You usually don't like to keep a lady waiting Kassy." She gave him a sly grin and drew a fresh blade.

"Yeah, I know, but watching you fight titans is just so…hot. It kind of gets me going to be honest. You could slay me without even lifting a finger." He laughed and made a show of fanning himself with his hand.

"You really know how to make a girl feel special don't you?" She snickered and rolled her eyes. "How about you take me out to dinner after we save Trost? I don't think we've ever had a dinner date just the two of us."

"I would be honored m'lady, but first I must ask, will you do me the honor of sharing this sword dance? I could use a partner."

"Dinner and dancing? Such a gentleman; how can I refuse a generous offer like that?" The two of them stood back to back, the other titans trying to encircle them. Hungry eyes gazed down upon them, the faces coated in shadow by the dying light of the sun.

"We don't have time for a long dance, so which one of these bastards are we going to drop first?"

"Let's bring down the one with the gut. He looks like he's been eating too well today."

They nodded to one another and the performance began. The creature was trying to climb its' way onto the roof, so Josh severed its' wrist. He then carved a deep gash across the torso, causing it to stumble and fall. He tucked and rolled, cutting the other wrist for good measure. Annie proceeded to do a jumping roll over its' neck, spinning and slicing like a ballerina of death. The nape popped clean and down it tumbled off of the building. She was slowly turning the kill strikes into a personal art form. The second of the two was a bit faster and was already on the roof with them when they turned around. Clamoring to get up here however, had cost it the advantage of being able to use its' hands, as it needed to steady itself. Josh got down on one knee and Annie spring-boarded off of his shoulder. In a downward swinging motion, she released her blades, which flew end over end into the titan's eyes, bursting them. It let out a cry of agony and clutched at the seeping wounds. The two of them then used its' pectoral muscles as anchor points and shot up and around the head to stand on its' shoulders. With her on the right and he on the left, they placed their blades to cut. His blade to make the top gash, hers the lower. They would meet in the middle to finish each other's slice. They stabbed their swords in as deep as they could reach and pulled them forward. If not for the din of battle, one could have heard the wretched sound of each muscle being frayed and destroyed. A small river of red oozed out as the two of them came closer together. They made it to the center and stood barely two inches apart. They quickly pulled their swords from the freshly rent tissue and replaced them inside the other's wound. Josh and Annie kissed deeply and swiftly pulled the strike through the rest of the way. The nape dropped out, spraying the two lovers with a jet of vermillion. The titan dropped to the tile and expired.

With the blood already evaporating off of them, they smiled at one another and jumped off of the decaying body.

"You're lucky this stuff dries up and fades away quickly, otherwise my good uniform would have been ruined."

"We could've always taken a shower and washed our clothes you know." He winked at her.

"Ha-ha, you wish. You'd have way too much fun if the showers were coed and Jansen would just become a terrible person. Now then, what say we finish this and go home?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth babe." With that, they went to rejoin their comrades.

The cadets were getting winded, and the vanguard force was all but depleted. It was taking all of their strength just to dodge the titans' attacks, but thankfully most of them had been dropped. The sounds of death and destruction echoed around them all. Just a little bit longer and it would be done, victory. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin had made it onto the bridge directly in front of the gate and there were only about sixty meters left to go. Emboldened by the nearness of triumph, the cadets put all of their effort into a last punishing barrage of sword strikes. Yelling with ferocity as sharp as the steel they carried, the last two titans were hacked to pieces. There were only bits and pieces left to rot away into oblivion after they were through. Josh and Annie touched down next to them, the blood still burning away from their garments. It was just about time to watch the fireworks. Each of them was shaking as they turned their attention on the breach, the last amber sunlight of the day streaming through it as night finally began to encroach. The black silhouette of Eren's titan stood stark against the dying light.

"Come on Jaeger, finish this." Jean clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Go for it you magnificent bastard!" Jansen cried out.

"Wait, there's one more titan in front of him!" Elise shakily gestured with her sword hilt.

"Easy there bright eyes, I think Mikasa's got this one." Ymir pushed her arm down. Sure enough, not ten seconds later, the creature was dropped over the side of the bridge into one of the pits. Now the only thing between him and his objective was a summer breeze. Everyone's hearts were pounding like they were going to beat out of their chests. Everyone got very quiet, nobody even breathed; they all just stared. A sound was carried to their ears as one human being cried out with the spirit of every soldier who had fallen before that day.

**"****GOOOOOOO!" **In the open air, Armin's voice seemed to roar out loud enough to shake the windows of the houses. As if answering in kind, Eren's titan let loose its' own bestial war cry. Then, with the finality of death itself, He plowed the boulder into the wound of Wall Rose. The force of the impact cracked the stone work of the wall twenty feet in all directions. The resulting rush of displaced air was almost enough to knock someone off of their feet.

"We…we did it." Alex dropped to his knees, not quite believing what he was seeing. Christa's eyes were starting to well up with tears and she wasn't the only one. Elise and Albrecht were also looking like they were about to go to pieces. Aline had to steady herself to keep from passing out. The impossible had just happened. On a day which may well have marked the worst defeat yet in the fight for humanity's survival, they had claimed victory out of the ashes. A trembling Garrison Regiment officer pulled a signal gun from a satchel and shot a yellow trail up into the sky to signal the mission's success. It…it was finally over.

Albrecht looked up at the sky, purple and orange hues painting the clouds above them. The sparks and embers of the various fires raging within the area flew around like so many fireflies. He fought to hold in the wave of emotion coming over him at the moment. He blinked the tears away from his eyes and spoke in barely a whisper. _"You didn't die in vain Sergeant; none of them did. This day belongs to all of you."_

"I'm going to hug that kid, hell I might even kiss him for this." Josh was laughing nervously.

"I can't believe he really did it. I'm not dreaming am I? We actually just won?" Erik wiped the sweat from his brow.

"You're not dreaming, this is the real deal." Annie was the only one with anything approaching a calm expression.

"I honestly never doubted our chances of success. I knew Eren would come through in the end." Ymir stretched and yawned. The rest of them just shook their heads and brushed off her statement. Given the current situation, none of them had the energy to rebuke her, and none of them really cared to. If that was all that they had to put up with in the aftermath, it was the smallest of prices to pay. They started off in the direction of their savior's already decaying form. Offering up their thanks for the victory was the least they could do, tired or not. Their victory however, might prove to be hollow if none of them lived to enjoy it.

"Uh…guys…we may have a problem here." Alex was sounding like he was about to go into hysterics.

"Come on man, don't spoil the mood." Jansen turned to look at the younger cadet and instantly saw what he was talking about. "Guys, we **definitely** have a problem."

Jean turned around, agitated. "You too? What could you…Oh Son of a Bitch! Five titans closing on our six o'clock! Everyone move, we have to defend Eren while they pull him out of there!" They all chanced a look behind them and started moving forward as fast as their limbs would carry them.

"You know, I'm not sure I believe in luck anymore." Elise panted as she stumbled across the wooden drawbridge.

"I told you, it's all about how you deal with the hand that's given to you. There are only good results and bad results from the decisions you make regarding that." Annie held her up as she struggled to run. The group staggered their way to the ground in front of the sealed hole and turned on heel. The battered cadets formed a half circle in front of the decomposing titan corpse as Armin and Mikasa, with the help of the Garrison Regiment officer, fought to pull Eren free of his form. His would be defenders redrew their blades and steadied themselves. The titans were coming quickly, each of them a fifteen meter. The soldiers were exhausted and they weren't sure they had the strength to fight off any more of the enemy. They'd been backed into a corner once again, even in their moment of triumph. To say that this sucked wouldn't even begin to do the irony of this moment justice. The 104th just could not catch a break today.

"Armin, if you're going to do something, now would really be an excellent time!" Josh looked up at the struggling cadet. It was taking too long to pull Eren free. Growing impatient, the Garrison officer cut the muscle tissue attaching him to the carcass and Armin toppled backwards to the ground with his friend. Mikasa dropped down behind him.

"We've got him, but he's unconscious; he'll have to be carried."

"I don't care what we have to do, let's just get out of here." Jean looked back for a moment, a mixture of anger and fear in his eyes.

"We don't have time now, we're going to have to fight our way through them. Don't let a single one of them near Eren!" Albrecht positioned himself to take off.

"I really wish we could've taken a breather, just for five minutes." Christa grimaced and held her swords up. They all braced to engage as the titans began crossing the bridge. Just before they were about to jump off, there was an incredibly fast gust of wind and the first titan fell over dead. The second, third, and fourth followed in a similar fashion. The last of them was bounding toward the group, grinning like a madman, It was a mere thirty feet from them when it toppled over, the sound of sharp steel accompanying its' demise as it landed in front of them. Three individuals in green cloaks dropped down to rest on the back of the dead beast. They were all facing away as if looking for more titans to strike down. There was a symbol emblazoned on the back of the cloaks. It was a symbol that everyone in squad seven recognized. It had been the very focus of Jansen's obsession for what had been next to an eternity.

"Is…that what I think it is?" Aline stared up at it.

Jansen's eyes lit up and he went almost slack-jawed. "The Wings of Freedom…"

The man standing in the center did a half turn to face the mesmerized cadets and looked over Eren's titan body. Then he spoke. "Pay attention kiddos, this is the part where you tell me what exactly it is that I'm looking at."


	13. Battleborn

Less than a half hour after the gate was sealed, the wall mounted artillery began firing. High explosive and grapeshot rounds ripped through the writhing mass of titans that were clustered in the corner of town. The muzzle flashes and the thunder of detonations played out in an almost melodic rhythm. When the cadets were finally given leave to catch some shut eye, it was past midnight. It had felt like they hadn't slept in a week and everything hurt. None of them even had the energy to get out of their uniforms; they just dropped their gear and fell wherever there was something soft to lie on. A storehouse had been allocated as a temporary place to bunk while a better option was arranged.

"Those cannons are going to keep me up all night." Connie groaned.

"You might be the only one. I can…barely stay standing." Jansen said as he fell down onto a pile of straw.

"At least they pulled us off the line; I guess command figured we'd earned a little bit of a break after all that." Jean stretched and plopped onto a short stack of sandbags.

Despite the lack of comfortable space, the members of the 104th were managing to squeeze into every nook and cranny. Sasha had somehow found a bag of potatoes and was cuddling up to the thing like it was her boyfriend. Christa had curled up in a corner, using her rain cloak like a pillow. It had taken about thirty seconds for Ymir to slide in next to her. Somewhere along the line, Elise had passed out and Albrecht ended up carrying her on his back; a sight which, in spite of how tired they all were, Aline still managed to make a half-hearted joke about. Josh came stumbling in, about as close to dead as you could feel. Even with the help of the morphine, most of his body ached to some degree or another. Annie had been helping him stay upright for the better part of an hour.

"That must have been the…longest day in h…history." The combination of meds and drowsiness made Josh slur his words. "Can…I sleep…in tomorrow?"

"Yeah…yeah you can. You can sleep all…day tomorrow if you want." She yawned and laid him down on the straw pile nearby Jansen before setting her gear on a crate. She placed her jacket on a nail protruding from a beam and made some room next to Josh before lying down.

"You know something? With all evidence to the contrary, when you think about it, Christa was right. Those two do make a really cute couple." Aline brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked at Albrecht for his response. He was already fast asleep; rest had come easily for him without events weighing so heavily on his psyche. She sighed and resigned herself to the same decision. There would be plenty of time to talk tomorrow after all.

Looking around at all of these tired "kids" one may not guess what they'd been through. Their initiation into the life of a soldier had very nearly left them broken. Scars would be left on most if not all of them for the foreseeable future, perhaps the rest of their lives even. They had lived through hell. The realization that any of them had made it through that nightmare alive was bound to start sinking in within the next day or two. This was especially considering that so many of their number had been devoured. In hindsight, there was a deep hope that the sacrifice of so many would yield a brighter future. The survivors however, now virtually stood as heroes of myth. They had helped pull off something once thought impossible, the reclamation of human territory for the first time since the titans appeared over a century prior. That was a sound and positive note to focus on, at least until the mop up was well underway. Save tomorrow's problems for tomorrow. Slowly, one by one, sleep enveloped them all in its' calm embrace. Out in the darkness of the countryside, the guns of Trost could be heard echoing in the night.

A few hours into their respite, Josh stirred awake and rose from his straw pile. It was fuzzy, but he'd just had a really strange dream; he could remember almost none of it. All that he could visualize was that he had been staring up at the sky; but he was unable to see what was drawing his attention upwards. Strangely, everything around him was enveloped in shadow. There was nothing leading up to that moment, and nothing following it. The dream just ended abruptly. He felt the beginnings of a headache coming forward and stifled a groan. Another annoyance his body decided to throw into the mix to repay his abuse of it. Despite the throbbing in his head, he wracked his brain for several moments, hoping that more of the dream came to the forefront. No further details revealed themselves however. His pounding cerebrum surely wasn't helping at all. Maybe it would be best if he went for some air. He got up slowly, partly due to pain and in part because he didn't wish to wake Annie. Taking the coming day off was bound to do him some good in regard to the former. He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn before walking towards the open doors at the end of the store house. He stepped out into the cool air and leant against the wall. Though moon was still high in the sky, the very faintest traces of dawn light could be seen on the horizon. He stared up at the stars twinkling overhead and wondered how long they had gazed down upon the world.

"You couldn't sleep either huh?" The sudden intrusion of speech momentarily startled him. He calmed when he noticed that it was Jansen.

"Oh, hey man. I just…felt like I needed some air; I've got a bit of a headache. How long have you been out here, and what time is it?" Josh stretched gingerly.

"It's probably around four thirty and I've been out here for almost an hour now."

"That long, what's rattling around in that head of yours this time?"

"I'm not sure. I've just had this really weird feeling. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but its' like I had some really important dream and I keep forgetting what it was."

"Oddly enough, I feel that way too. I think the dream I had was important too, but I can't remember anything…except, that I was looking up at the sky and everything around me was in shadow." Josh sat down next to his friend, who was acting uncharacteristically serious.

"That sounds pretty eerie. I wonder if you're having another premonition like that other dream." He paused and thought hard for a moment, reaching a rather odd conclusion. "You know, wouldn't it be crazy if we were trying to remember the same thing?" An interesting coincidence to be sure, but if that was the case, surely he could remember at least as much as Josh could? All he had was that unnerving feeling stirring deep within him. Not exactly enough to merit a logical connection between their shared inability to sleep.

"Who knows, maybe we are. I've heard of people having mental connections like that before; something about people with shared experiences I think. Still, even if that was the case, I'd kind of feel dumb if neither of us could recall much of it."

"Don't worry, It'll come to us; we're smart guys…most of the time anyway." At least, that was his hope.

"Is it possible that maybe we're over-thinking this and it's nothing? We might just be having anxiety from yesterday?" Not hard to believe under the circumstances.

"I don't know…my gut is telling me it's a lot more than that. I just can't shake the feeling that something's coming, and coming soon." He folded his hands and closed his eyes, like he was concentrating really hard. What was this feeling and why couldn't he place its' source? Where were these pieces of knowledge that were eluding him? If Josh was right, and this was just a buildup of anxiety, why did it feel so different? Anxiety wasn't an uncommon part of day to day soldiering in a time of war; and since day one of training, they'd been exposed to plenty of it. **This** felt nothing like that. Whatever this was, it was gnawing deep down inside his mind. Jansen's discomfort was noticeable.

"This is really bugging you isn't it?"

"Yeah, and I'm honestly surprised you aren't more concerned about it. I'd have thought you'd be all over wanting to figure this out."

"I am concerned, trust me. I'd just like my mind to be at ease for a little while before I run myself into the ground. The last thing I, or you either for that matter, need is to be getting worked up about something we can't even remember. We're not going to be worth a damn to anybody if we don't rest up some." Josh was having the exact same feelings that his friend was. The dream seemed like it had to mean something. It had been vague and ominous just like the one before the attack on Trost. He just didn't want to think about anything else horrible happening anytime soon.

"I guess you have a point, but I'm going to keep trying to figure this out. I'm bound to come up with a few ideas eventually. I don't suppose that there's any reason to keep worrying about it right now though." He sighed and stood up slowly. His eyes drifted upward and he took in the early morning sky as light crept ever closer around its' edges.

"You're being unusually pensive right now you know that? This dream you may or may not have had can't be the only thing on your mind."

"This is going to sound weird, but can I ask you a hypothetical question?"

"Yeah man, go right ahead."

"Say you were going away for a long time. Pretend that you only had twenty four hours left with all the people you knew and loved. If you only had that one chance to make everything in your life right, one day to do or say things that you'd never either had the courage or the opportunity to say and do…would you? If you knew that you'd never in a million years get to have another shot, would you go for it?"

"Um…well, I guess I'd lay everything on the table. Assuming I wouldn't ever have the chance to say any of it again, I'd want to make sure that the people I cared about knew how much they meant to me. I'd also want to try and make amends with the ones I wasn't on the best of terms with. If there was time to do the things I'd never been able to, then I'd do them. I wouldn't want to regret giving up my one chance. I don't want to say that I'd say my goodbyes or anything, because goodbyes are really painful for most people. So, what's with the deep loaded question all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing, I was just wondering how many of our classmates never knew that they were facing their last day. How many of them died with hearts full of regret?"

"You can't go on thinking about the dead forever. If you spend your time dwelling on everyone who didn't make it, you'll drive yourself mad."

"Yeah…anyway, thanks for sitting out here and talking with me; I needed to get that stuff off of my mind." He patted Josh on the shoulder. "I'm going to try and get a couple more hours of sleep. I'm sure they're going to send us all out to help with the mop up once the guns stop firing finally. Not all of us are lucky enough to get a weekend pass and nap all day." He smirked after the last bit and wandered back into the storehouse.

Josh looked off after him until he was no longer in view and then returned his gaze to the heavens. The morning suddenly felt rather cold and he wished he had his cloak to keep him warm. There were a lot more questions buzzing around in his head than when he'd originally come outside. Whether or not Jansen was actually feeling any better about what plagued his mind was up for debate. Regardless, after their conversation, Josh Kassmeyer wasn't sure he was going to sleep very much.

When the sun finally crept its' way up into the sky above the wall, the night's work was plain for all to see. In the eastern corner of town, a thick haze rose from a mountain of rotting carcasses. The guns had been going non-stop for twelve hours now. As long as there was a single sign of movement on the ground beneath their barrels, they spat forth a sermon of death to the enemy. One or two cannons had actually suffered valve bursts to one degree or another; the intensity of their use having proved too taxing. Such was the fury of the task at hand, one artillery crew had even failed to notice that they had run out of ammunition, mindlessly going through the motions until someone forced them to stop long enough to rearm. The slaughter of their brutal foe overtaking every corner of their psyche. It had been noted by the chief of the Garrison's Corps of Engineers that, if not for the evaporation of a titan's body in the aftermath of its' demise, the inner areas of Trost would no doubt be flooded with gore by now.

Officers were beginning to move between units to select squads for clean up duty in support of the Survey Corps. It was kind of like a lottery that nobody wanted to win. There was no doubt that the Scouts possessed enough manpower to deal with the titans left over from the bombardment, but command wanted their ranks supplemented to hasten the operation. It wouldn't be safe to begin clearing the streets and accounting for all the dead until the threat of titan attack had been removed entirely. That needed to be done sooner rather than later. All of the dead bodies would bring the threat of disease and plague the longer they were allowed to fester.

The cadets of the 104th had awoken groggily that morning to a rather meager meal and orders to fall in for selection. Interestingly enough, it was Commandant Shadis who was doing the selecting.

"I really hope he doesn't try to kill me again." Connie whispered as he took his place in the formation.

"Just don't give him a reason to; he doesn't look like he's in a bad mood." Sasha nudged him. In all honesty, Shadis looked too tired to strangle anyone. The circles around his eyes were dark and the wrinkles were really showing in his face. Maybe he'd seen the casualty report for their battalion. Although, all you had to do was take one solid look to notice how many fewer of them there were compared to this time yesterday.

The commandant cleared his throat. "Cadets, before we begin I would like to say that I am extremely proud of all of you. You're first engagement couldn't have been a more testing one. There are quite a few missing faces among you; too many for me to ignore, considering what's now being asked of you. I fought against this with the higher ups, but I wasn't able to get it called off completely. I did however; get them to lower their requirement from ten squads to three." He paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in, along with a bit of relief. "At this time, I would like to ask if there are any individuals that would be willing to volunteer for this assignment. Once I've gotten a count of those, the remaining cadets will be selected at random." It was a long shot, but hopefully there would be a few to step forward. He smiled inwardly when twelve of them did. Among the volunteers were Albrecht, Jansen, Christa, Elise, Jean, Reiner, Bertolt, and after seeing she'd been "outvoted" Aline.

That left only three people for him to choose. He'd actually already had two in mind for the job. His eyes instantly settled on his two "favorite" cadets, both of whom shrank visibly from his gaze.

"Springer, Braus, you've just won the lottery; get your gear and load up."

"How did I know he was going to do that?" Connie groaned.

"I can't believe he **still** has it in for us. We didn't so much as look at him sideways." Sasha was confused.

Despite the obvious aggravation of the two of them, it was definitely a sound call. Despite their overall attitudes, both of them were able to get things done when the sparks started flying; Sasha and Connie were very capable soldiers. It wasn't so much that Shadis had wanted to punish them as he wanted to select cadets who he felt certain weren't going to die out there. There weren't very many among them that he could say that about with strong conviction, especially considering the results of their first deployment. He called the company to attention. "Those selected for the cleanup, kit up and report to the quartermaster; you move out in thirty minutes, so hop to it. The rest of you are dismissed, report to your respective officers to receive your assignments."

"Yes sir." They all mustered as much enthusiasm for the response as they could before shuffling off to finish waking up.

"Everyone in the company is going to praise you guys for doing this, you know that right?" Annie looked over at the little group of volunteers.

"I hope you're not surprised." Jean stretched. "I doubt most of the company has the constitution to happily jump back into that city, even if the majority of the titans are dead."

"Maybe they've just got a little more common sense than we do."

"Yeah, they just might; either way, we're the ones that need to do this. I'd rather make use of fear's absence than wait for it to coming back."

"I think it's more along the lines of our desire to protect others overriding our fear." Christa smiled as they made their way back into the store house to retrieve their rigs.

"That's one way of putting it." Reiner said.

"For you maybe, but I just got tossed into this whether I wanted it or not." Connie grumbled.

"Oh lighten up, you'll be fine. At least we'll be a long way from Shadis while we're at it." Sasha was trying to put a more positive spin on their situation. In response, Connie continued griping.

Across the room, a more serious conversation was unfolding. "Are you sure you guys are going to be okay out there?" Josh was sitting up in the straw pile.

"We'll be alright, you know we will. Part of being a good team is being able get the job done even if a squad member is out of commission." Albrecht was adjusting his harness.

"Combat is going to be light in any case, so I doubt you'll be missing anything too dramatic. Thank God for that." Aline was attaching her tanks.

"That doesn't keep me from worrying. Even a single titan can kill quite a few people if it's quick enough."

Christa stooped down to put her hands on his shoulders. "Kassy, you promised you were going to rest. You won't get any sleep if you spend the whole day obsessing over how we're doing." She was even more adamant about that than she had been yesterday; it was amazing she'd never smothered him with all of her concern. He **had** given her his word though. If he didn't spend the day recuperating, it was likely she'd strap him to the nearest bed and force him to. Considering her, that didn't sound very far-fetched.

"That's why I'm staying here, to make sure he does as he's told." Annie walked over and knelt down next to Christa. "One of his flaws is that he doesn't always take the good advice he's given. We all know from experience that he's stubborn enough to drive you mad."

"Hey, it isn't like that all the time. I just hate being on the sidelines while my you're all putting yourselves in the line of fire. I like to be in a position that I can be of some use." He paused for a moment, realizing he was setting himself up to be scolded. "Then again…I wouldn't be any good to you in my present condition. I can't ignore what my body is saying like I have been. My attitude about that could've and should've got me in a lot of trouble yesterday. I was lucky I didn't collapse. So you have my word that I'll take it easy and relax today. Stressing about me while you're trying to fight isn't going to help at all either. I can't promise that I won't worry though."

"Geez, if it's not one of you two getting all anxious about something it's the other. Neither of you are allowed to do that for the next ten hours. Josh is going to keep his promise and we're going to do our jobs and be home in time for lunch." Aline was ready to go.

"She's got a point. We'll need all of Christa's focus and you'll have to rest up if you ever plan on getting better. Neither of you have a choice about that." Albrecht agreed with her for once. He had been feeling much more like his old self since the gate had been sealed. His sense of control had been able to reassert itself and he could make calculated decisions again. He finished attaching his various accoutrements and tightening his belts, overall very confident.

The members of Squad Seven departed from their impromptu barracks shortly thereafter. Josh stood in the doorway with Annie and watched them disappear from view. He didn't say anything; he just kept looking off after them. Maybe Aline was right. He was the one in bad shape. They on the other hand, were all perfectly fine and more than capable of meeting their mission head on. As for the anxious feelings, he was probably just letting Jansen's words and his dream get to him. He should just put both out of his mind; there was a full day of rest awaiting him, and he definitely needed more of that. Plus, if he was lucky, Annie would end up taking care of him. Suddenly sitting it out for a while sounded a lot more appealing. If he couldn't go anywhere, he might as well try to enjoy himself. He returned to his straw pile to try and settle in, but dark whispers continued to gnaw quietly at the back of his conscious, whispers that might not be so easy to ignore. They uttered words that make him shiver, even though they spoke in a language he couldn't understand. **_"Omnes, qui vivimus, iam inter mortuos."_**

The members of the support force had rendezvoused at the quartermaster's office for their marching orders and to resupply. There were about thirty of them all told; fifteen cadets and fifteen from the Garrison. A short Survey Corps officer stepped up on a crate and whistled to get their attention.

"Alright listen up. Since I'm the one who got slapped with overseeing your part in this mission, I want to make one thing clear. I'm not fond of having to babysit a bunch of useless greenhorns or wall huggers so do your best not to screw up or piss me off." She said somewhat angrily.

"C'mon Blasa you don't have to be rude; they're here to do their job, same as we are." Another scout folded his arms and leaned against the building.

"Oh please, this is a bunch of bull handed down by some bureaucrat to spend some credit around. Our regiment could do this without them no problem. But no, I'm stuck back here dealing with this while Levi is at the forefront. By the time I get up there, there won't be any more titans to kill. I bet that short little shit had Erwin assign me here just so he could take all the glory for himself."

"I think **you're** the one that hates him, not the other way around. Also, where do you get off talking about his height? What are you, half an inch taller than him?"

"I'm **one** inch taller than he is thank you; so you can piss off Terrelle!"

"You really have to work on your people skills LT."

"Whatever, just hand me the clipboard so I can assign sectors." She stretched her hand behind her to retrieve it, groping around for a moment before she managed to find it. The soldier she had addressed as Terrelle stifled a laugh. "When I call out names, please raise your hands for the love of God so I know who I'm talking to." She stared at the board for a moment before speaking. "Okay, Kirstein, Braun, Hoover, Springer, and Braus, you'll make up squad one and I'm putting you along the western bank of the canal. Johannes, Lenz, Duerk, Holde, and…Nadzieja, you're securing the area in the immediate vicinity of town hall. That's close to the supply depot so feel free to help out with that while you're at it." The second part she said with off handed sarcasm. She spread the rest of the teams out at various points around the city. Once everyone was given a general idea of where they were going, the lieutenant left, eager to wash her hands of her charges. She hadn't even bothered to give them follow up orders for after the titans in each sector had been eliminated.

"Well that was about the bare minimum to go on. Would've been nice to at least get an estimate of how many titans we should expect." Connie sighed.

"We can always count them once we get up on the wall, wouldn't be the first time." Sasha withdrew one of her handles.

"I guess we'll meet up here when we're done then?" Albrecht asked.

"Good enough, I doubt that officer cares what we do afterwards. If anyone runs into any problems out there, just yell really loud and the rest of us will come running." They couldn't tell if Reiner was being serious or not. It would be impossible to hear anyone yelling over the sound of the cannons.

Aline yawned. "Enough yammering let's get a move on; I want to get this done so I can get some more sleep. Compared to yesterday, this is gonna be a cake walk." The rest of the gathered troops nodded in agreement. A few wayward titans weren't going to slow them down. A solid victory was long overdue, and they were all ready to finish this fight.

Only a few minutes into things, the mission was proving to be nothing short of tedious. The smoke from the constant artillery barrage had obscured an overhead view of the inner city areas to which they'd been assigned. This was especially true for the members of Squad Seven, who were closer to that area than any of their comrades. This meant that they were going into their operational areas with no clue of what they were up against. Clearing the city street by street became the option left to them. It was kind of eerie, creeping around through the haze. The steady drum of explosions echoed off of the buildings and down the alleyways.

"These are the worst kind of conditions to be moving around in; we won't be able to see a titan until it's right on top of us. I'm not even sure we'll be able to hear one coming." Albrecht's eyes were scanning everything for even the remotest sign of movement. "Our only hope is that we can figure out where they are from the vibrations that their footsteps produce."

Elise sounded kind of nervous. "I'm beginning to get the feeling that officer was trying to get us killed with where she assigned us. Even if we had a signal flare, I don't think anyone would see it. Jean's team didn't look like they were going to be much better off."

"We could get some serious respect out of this if you think about it. If we're able to fight titans in this murk, we can probably fight them anywhere." Jansen said casually.

"Elise is right though. We're definitely going to be on our own here. I wish the cannons would take a break so some of this could clear up. I can't even see the sun, not to mention it's a little hard to breathe." Christa had tied a bandage around her face to try and block the smoke. One of the ironies about the situation was that the walls themselves were allowing it to settle into the streets. The five cadets were forced to keep their eyes on every shadow that presented itself to them; everything just looked like a dark blob. A soldier could pretty quickly become paranoid under the circumstances. When you're paranoid, you get jumpy, and when you get jumpy, mistakes are made.

"Shouldn't we do this from higher ground where we're a little more out of reach?" Aline asked Albrecht, clearly feeling vulnerable at ground level.

"That won't do us any good. We wouldn't be able to see where we're jumping to if we headed to the rooftops. At least down here we have a general idea of what we can latch onto." He hated being forced into maneuvering like this just as much as she did, but there wasn't really another way to go about this until they got some visibility back. They continued on, trying to keep themselves in a state of hyper-awareness.

Jansen was glancing down the passages between the buildings when a shadow caught his eye. "Hey, guys hold up a second I just saw something moving at the other end of this alley."

"What did it look like?" Everyone asked at once.

"It kind of looked like a person, but I only caught a glimpse of a shadow; it could be nothing."

"Wouldn't hurt to check, one of the other squads may have run into our sector by accident. Perhaps we've even run into someone else's." Albrecht took the lead and they started moving down the passage slowly. They hugged the walls and kept eyes in all directions, their boots drifting across the cobblestone. The buildings on either side of them seemed to create a noise barrier that blocked a decent amount of the gunfire. It felt eerily quiet compared to what they could hear on the road. This only added to the already unsettling atmosphere around them. The relative silence was broken when Aline slipped and fell. The crashing sound of her ODM rig against rock caused Albrecht, Jansen, and Elise to jump.

"Damn it! Of all the times to find a mud puddle it had to be right now?" She groaned and rose to her knees. "Lucky I didn't crack my skull open or anything. Somebody help me clean this crap off would you?"

Christa pulled a rag out of her pocket and began wiping Aline's uniform. The mud wasn't coming off. She tried wiping harder, but all it did was smear. She looked for a moment at the piece of cloth in her hand. "Aline…this isn't mud…" Christa drew one of her swords. She didn't need to say anything else for the rest of them to get the idea and follow suit. The quintet began edging forward again, listening for any sound that might betray a nearby enemy. Aline was trying not to gag, the smell of the vitae beginning to overpower the smell of smoke. They reached the other end of the alley as quickly as they dared to move, peering out into what used to be part of town square. Chunks of rock and wood debris littered the area. Squad Seven spread out of the narrow passage, keeping as close to one another as they practically could.

"Which way did you see that person running?" Elise asked. Jansen gestured off to their left toward a row of tall buildings. More bloodstains revealed themselves as they began making their way across the open space. The number and size increased the further they proceeded, until the flagstones were at times coated with entire swathes of red. In the midst of the largest of these, they found what appeared to be bits and pieces of human bodies. Internal organs, hands, arms, a leg or two, all cast about after their hosts had orphaned them.

"Mother of God, I think I'm going to hurl." Aline wretched and spat up into the pool of blood, the smell finally overwhelming her.

"We need to look around, see if we can figure out who this was. Everyone needs to stay within clear sight though; the titan that did this is probably close by." Albrecht held his breath as he started rummaging through the remains. Everyone else reluctantly set about the task.

"I found something." Christa picked up the tattered remnants of a uniform jacket. She looked it over for some type of identifying insignia, squinting closely as she made out the image of a rose on the sleeve. "These guys are from the Garrison detachment that deployed with us."

Jansen breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, that means we can rule out any of our comrades being among the dead here. There couldn't be more than four victims, even if they were ripped to shreds."

"We have to find this titan as quickly as possible or that may no longer be the case. Whatever type it was managed to sneak up on the squad and laid into them. If the trooper that Jansen saw is still alive, they'll likely have taken refuge in one of those buildings. It'll be in our best interests to follow suit and get out of the open." The five of them hurried into the nearest structure and shut the door as they entered. They grey light filtering through the haze outside provided some level of visibility, but much of the interior was in darkness.

"So our plan is to search every building on this side of the square until we find this person, or what's left of them?" Elise inquired as they began checking rooms.

"No, that'd be risky and would take way too long, but we had to get out of sight for a while. Besides, I'm getting the feeling that the fifth soldier ended up the same as his comrades. This thing really gets into the killing. If the titan was able to take five veterans by surprise, it could easily do the same to us. I just need a few moments to come up with a plan to kill something we can't see, or possibly even hear under the circumstances."

"Well think fast, I'm not fond of playing hide and seek with something that wants to butcher us." Aline was trying to wipe as much of the blood as she could off of her uniform.

Several minutes went by and the cadets waited in silence, listening for the sounds or rumbles of the creature heading their way. Every creak of the house drew their attention as the tension mounted. Albrecht was wracking his brain for a plan that didn't involve putting any of them at risk. He'd gotten his command presence back, and he wasn't going to let anyone go to the wolves this time. Having the whole squad go out there wasn't likely to work out very well; so he eventually concluded that he should go alone, with everyone else waiting in the house for him to yell or give some kind of signal. If he wound up getting screwed by the decision, at least no one else would suffer on his orders. There was give and take when you led soldiers into battle. He laid out his "strategy" for the others as well as he could to avoid sounding like he'd taken a blow to the head.

"Your plan is to go out there alone and yell to see if the titan shows up? That's got to be the most idiotic thing I've ever heard." Aline looked about ready to smack him.

"I realize it's the farthest thing from smart I've ever done, but I'd rather find him before he finds us. At least with this option I'm the only one risking anything. I won't hear any argument either, this is stupid and dangerous and I won't let any of you put your lives on the line by being part of it."

Jansen shook his head. "You're sounding worse than I did yesterday I hope you know that. You were giving me crap for doing things half as dumb as this is."

"That was different. A commander can't have his subordinates getting killed on his orders; I'm doing this **alone**."

"Alb, I'm sure we can figure something else out." Christa opined.

"If we had the luxury of time I'd agree, but we don't, so just wait here until I call for you guys. You'll know the difference from my yelling by me saying something like 'holy shit a titan is trying to kill me.'" Any further protests were quickly swatted down. Despite his friends' misgivings, he knew this was the best call to make in this situation. A moment later, He ran out the front door and vanished into the haze.

"Does he usually behave like this when he's in charge?" Elise asked once Albrecht had gone.

"No, I just think that battle is getting to him. Whatever was going on with him yesterday was weird too." Jansen looked out the window as he heard the sound of his friend yelling. He rather hoped that the plan didn't work, a demise like that wouldn't be fitting for Albrecht Johannes. Jansen chuckled to himself, finding it almost comical that they were basically playing Marco Polo with a titan. He sat in an old chair and began going over some things in his mind. His thoughts drifted back to what Josh had said to him early that morning about doing your best to live without regrets, the importance of not leaving things unsaid. He looked over by the table where Christa was sitting, that sweet little blonde haired girl who they'd brought into their little family those three odd years ago. That was a one in a million kind of girl who they'd all been fortunate enough to call their friend all this time. "Hey, Christa…do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go right ahead, what's up?"

"I wondering…maybe sometime would you like to…" He stopped as a dull rumbling sound reached his ears. He waited for a moment, and the sound presented itself again, causing dust to fall from the rafters as the building began creak. The sound was growing louder.

Christa swallowed hard and eased her sword out of its' scabbard. "Someone please tell me that I'm just imagining that."

"Come on you big bastard, I'm right here! I'm a nice tasty snack just waiting to be eaten!" Albrecht groaned, trying not to think about how ridiculous he sounded. It had been five minutes and he hadn't seen or heard anything. Maybe he'd been wrong and the titan had left right after it ran out of people to eat? That blood could be an hour old and still be fresh enough to have slipped in. Was he just wasting his breath out here and making an ass of himself? "Great, now this is going to turn into one of those stories that everyone laughs about in the mess hall. I can just see it. 'So there we were, in the middle of Trost, so much smoke that you couldn't see anything. There's a titan killing Garrison Regiment soldiers somewhere in the murk, but we can't find it. So here comes Albrecht Johannes with the brilliant idea to stand out in the open and throw insults at the damn thing until it shows up to try and kill him. He was standing out there yelling at nothing for ten minutes.' Yeah, I'm never going to hear the end of this one." He started yelling again, calling out any angry slur he could think to say. He was in the middle of a particularly drawn out insult when he heard a tremendous crash from his right, in the direction he'd come from. He froze for a moment, not sure he believed what he'd just heard. That couldn't be happening, how could it be? There was a second and a third crash closely following one another. Albrecht pulled his weapons and broke into a full sprint. "No, no, no, please no for the love of God, tell me this isn't happening."

"Son of a bitch!" Aline dove out of the way as a support beam fell from the ceiling, narrowly missing her. Large chunks of the roof were being pulled free of the rest of the house. A face fixed with a hideous grin and malicious eyes revealed itself out of the grey clouds enveloping their area of the city.

"Get outside now!" Christa threw the door open and the four of them ran out into the smoke. A seven meter titan was ripping the house apart trying to grasp at the cadets. As soon as the beast realized its' prey was escaping, it flattened what remained of the structure and bounded after them on all fours, like some kind of wild dog.

"It's an abnormal, where the hell did he come from all of a sudden; how did it know we were in there?!" Elise sounded on the verge of panic.

"It doesn't matter! We have to kill this thing before it can get a bead on us!" Jansen drew his swords and turned on his heel. He ran directly at the titan, ducking and sliding under it at the last moment to slice along its' belly. "Hit it now, slice anything you can reach!" The girls were already on it, Elise overcame her momentary shock as quickly as it had set in. They would have to watch their movements however, visibility was still low. It was beneficial that their target was hard to miss.

Christa and Aline vaulted themselves off of a large chunk of masonry and used the height to lock their hooks into the titan's sides before reeling in to deliver deep slices down each flank. Rivers of blood and steam followed in each of their wakes, but the strikes seemed to do little more than piss the creature off. It lashed out at them, not thrashing as other titans tended to, but trying to time swinging its' arms down its' sides as if to smash the cadets into the ground. Both attacks missed them, but only just. When that failed, It let out a bestial growl and bounced itself a few meters into the air, attempting to shake loose its' assailants.

"Since when are these things that smart?!" Elise yelled, rolling out from under the titan as it landed. She jumped up and cut a chunk out its' bicep as it went to rise.

"It's an abnormal remember, don't waste your time trying to figure it out!" Aline cut the other bicep as she came down, causing it to fall onto its' face. "He's all yours Christa!"

She locked herself in for a second attack run, aiming straight for the nape. Blades raised, the killing blow was dead in her sights. To her complete shock, only a second or two before she swung, the titan looked back over its' shoulder. There was a momentary pause when she wondered if it understood what she was trying to do, then it flipped itself over. Christa barely had a moment to release her cable and dodge the maneuver. This time, having missed the chance to kill the cadets again, the titan snarled and rolled itself to something resembling a crouching stance before lunging at Elise, jaw snapping. It was reacting at a speed that none of them had seen. The idea that an abnormal was able to foil their attacks almost begged the question of intelligence. She managed to roll away yet again, trying not to be phased by the creature's actions. No wonder it had been able to so easily slaughter the squad of Garrison soldiers. The members of Squad Seven weren't going down so easily though, cadets or not. The abnormal was growing ever more frustrated that it hadn't destroyed the humans it sought to feast upon, and that only served to make it more determined. Steam billowed off of its' body more rapidly than it had before, the wounds that had been inflicted were healing faster. It was almost like it gained vitality from its' fit of rage.

"It's…what is this BS; it can heal itself faster?!" Aline sounded equal parts pissed off and surprised as she came in for her next strike. This time however, the titan was ready for her. It swung its' arm up right under her and took hold, closing her in its' fist. She screamed as the grip began to tighten, the force of which broke her right leg.

"Aline!" Elise charged in, terror and anger flooding over her. She sliced at the arm which held her comrade, causing it to drop Aline, who hit the cobblestone hard and clutched at her fractured shin. As though no more than aggravated by what she had done, it roared and swatted her away with its' other arm, sending her skidding across the ground. Having lost sight of two potential victims, it turned its' attention to the only one it could see, a little blonde human.

Christa found herself unable to move. What she had just seen throwing her for a loop that she had yet to circle back from. The titan started in her direction, less feverishly than it had moved just a moment before. It likely sensed that it was no longer in eminent danger. The thunderous force of each step the monster took caused her to stagger backward and fall over. She was looking up into the face of something that not only wanted to eat her, but seemed to be enjoying the process leading up to the kill. For lack of a better word, it was having…fun with the whole bit. Her eyes widened and frightened tears began welling up in the corners.

"Don't you dare touch her you bastard!" Jansen came flying in over the titan's head, shrieking like a banshee as he cut deep gashes down the side of its' face. It reached up to grab him, but he pulled a quick recovery and pulled his steel across the monster's eyes. He shuddered angrily and cut the fingers off of the hand that tried to seize him. He shot himself up into the air, preparing to come back down for the final strike. He was going to end this, now. "This isn't your land, this isn't your city, AND WE ARE NOT YOUR FUCKING FOOD!" If you ask anyone, at no time was Jansen Duerk ever as much of a badass as he looked at that very moment. Not when he made his first kill, not when he made his last either. The power and fury pouring out of him when he was poised to deliver death upon the enemy was a haunting sight. For those who were there, it is also a very sad memory. Despite the speed at which he moved and despite the debilitating wounds he'd inflicted on the creature, at least this time, it was still faster. The titan rolled itself onto its' back in the final instant before Jansen could strike and opened its' maw to him. Before he even had time to register what was happening, it bit his legs off.

Albrecht Johannes stopped dead in his tracks, almost tripping over his own feet as he halted his advance. He watched as his friend, his comrade, his brother, fell from the titan's mouth to the ground. "No…no, no, no, no, **no, no, no, NO, NO, NOOOOOOO!**" His entire mind went blank, every single piece of his sensibility leaving him in the same instant. Every emotion became a sharp dagger of white hot hatred, and every thought singled itself into one action, one goal, and one purpose, to kill. He clenched his swords so tightly in his fists that he cracked the wood in the handles and drawing blood from his fingers. His voice rose to a beastly roar that you'd swear belonged to a demon, and he attacked.

The titan never even saw what was coming, neither did any of the other cadets. You could hear the sound of metal slicing flesh and see the faint glint of the blades, but you couldn't see anyone. He was like a ghost, moving so fast that the eyes didn't have time to register anything more than a brief flash. How many cuts were being inflicted, no one could count, they were too numerous to assign a number. All the while that singular howling never stopped. Gashes coated the titan's body and it began to shiver and quake, unable to react to the devastation being wreaked upon it. When Albrecht finally landed back on the ground, he was covered in steaming blood and the titan practically disintegrated in his wake, it was half way to being a skeleton before it even touched the street. He was trembling as both the rage and the gore boiled slowly away from him. As soon as clarity reasserted itself, he glanced around, wondering where his friends were. They were in a small cluster off to his right, alternating their eyes between him, and the recumbent form of Jansen whose head was cradled in Christa's lap. He dropped his swords and stumbled over to them. His friend was breathing heavily and was looking nearly as white as chalk, but he still managed to smile up at Albrecht as he approached.

"Hey Alb, I gotta say man, that was one hell of an entrance. That has to be the most hard core thing I've ever seen." He winced.

"You're missing both of your legs and you're still finding time to make jokes? You are a certifiable idiot you know that?" He laughed nervously as he collapsed to his knees.

"Not a joke man, I mean it, you blew my stunt out of the water." Jansen coughed and shivered.

"Don't be so modest, what you did was incredibly brave and noble." Christa brushed her fingers through his hair as tears began dropping from her eyes. "So, what was it that you wanted to tell me before?"

"Oh, that. Ha-ha, I doubt that…this is the best time."

"Just tell her you retard or I'll…I'll…damn it, I don't know, but I'm gonna do something!" Aline's eyes were red, she was crying too.

"This isn't the place to be asking these kind of things…I'm just…letting you know." He forced himself a little more upright and looked up at Christa. "I was wondering if you would, would…you…let me take you out to…dinner sometime? I mean…I know it's kind of out of the blue…and Ymir would probably raise all kinds of hell about it, but I'd love to take you out, just once."

The tears were now freely flowing down her face, but she was trying to smile. "Aline's right, you are an idiot. You've got a lot of nerve mister…asking a girl on a date while you're bleeding out. Where'd this come from?"

"It's…not that bad; I've had worse. That's what Josh would say at a time like this right? But, I've been wanting to ask for months now, if I'm being honest. I've always been a bit of a jackass around women, ever since I can remember. Even so, I tried my best not to act that way around you. You're a special kind of girl, everyone knows it, you're miles out of my league and over the horizon. If we weren't friends, I doubt you'd even give me the time of day. But I figured that I should try and at least behave like a gentleman for once in my life. So what do you say to…Friday night? I saw this bakery on main street that…Sasha was trying to break in to the other night, so you know the food has to be good."

She laughed in spite of herself. "If…if Sasha wanting to steal from an eatery is how we decide whether it's good or not…I…I think there's something wrong with us. Just promise me that…when we go out you'll…pick me up on time."

"Hey, I'm…always either on time or…fashionably early. So, it's…a date then?" He laughed in between wheezes.

"Yes…yes it's a date, just be there alright?"

"You can…count on it." He shifted his glance over to Aline. "Going…off of what I was saying…before…I know I spent a lot of time being a…royal tool to you. I'm sorry for that, from the bottom of my…heart."

"In your defense, I know I wasn't always the easiest person to get along with. You and I picked on each other more than anyone else." She wiped her eyes and with a shaking hand, patted him on the shoulder.

"I just wish…you'd stop flirting with so many…different guys. You deserve to find someone…who will be more for you than…just eye and arm candy."

"I…just might do that you idiot…I…just might."

He smiled again and turned his attention to Albrecht once more. "I don't want you…beating yourself up over this Alb. None of this was your…fault; it was just the luck of the draw for me. You're a…much better leader than you think you are, but not every call you make…will be the right one, you're not clairvoyant, and that's alright. I know that you'll always do the…best with what you have, however it turns out, don't blame yourself."

"Don't think this means you're going anywhere, nobody else seems to want to…call me on my BS from day to day. Besides, how can we be the _Blades of Karanese_ without you?"

"Ha, you can always…change the name of the squad. It's only a name man, what we did with it is…what matters."

"Then think of a better one; lord knows I couldn't come up with something like that." His eyes stung and Albrecht tried to blink the growing tears away. He clutched his friend's hand tightly in his own.

"You'll…think of something. You always do." He finally shifted his gaze in Elise's direction. She'd been completely silent the whole time, unsure what to say or do. "I've got something **really** important to tell…you."

She looked up, surprised. "Me…what could you possibly have to tell me? I mean, we were classmates, but we barely knew each other."

"You're going to have to be our new number five person. With…me gone the squad will only have…four members, and we…need at least five. So, this falls to you…you've been throwing yourself around between teams since yesterday. I figure…if you settle on one…you may as well pick the best one." His breathing had become intensely labored and his skin was clammy, but he wasn't done yet. "You be good to my family Elise…you're never going to find a more dedicated and…loyal group of friends on this earth." He paused and seemed to be struggling to breathe, most of the blood was drained from his body now. "Oh, and guys…if you could, tell Josh thank you…he helped me…finish things on a…good note…"

"No no no, you're going to tell him yourself man…you're going to…be…" Albrecht was struggling to speak. Christa and Aline were both sobbing, and Elise couldn't find the words to say anything more. Everything was still now. There were no titans, none of the chaos that accompanied combat, even the cannons had finally stopped firing. There was no strength in the clasp of hands, no wise cracking jokes coming out, and no speeches about glory. His eyes were closed now, and a soft smile remained on his features. Jansen Duerk was dead.


	14. Grief and Remorse

"Hey, do you hear that; the artillery barrage stopped." Erik Grunewald looked up from the paper he was scribbling on to listen. Alex was right; the cannons had fallen silent. That was a good sign at least.

"That probably means we're going to go clean up the mess before long. There'll be more than a few bodies that need burying after all this." He put down the roster sheet he'd been filling out. Erik's job for the last two hours had been getting an accurate head count for the 104th. Command wanted to know which squads would need to be folded into others. Having started yesterday with a total of forty three squads, it was discouraging to note that they now only had the bodies to fill twenty eight. That was a thirty four percent casualty rate; one in every three cadets was leaving Trost in a box or at least, what was left of them would be. How do you tell a grieving parent that the only thing of their child left to bury is a severed arm, leg, or God forbid, a head? Erik had actually seen that yesterday. He'd stared into its' blank eyes for probably a good five minutes before he could force himself to stop. Being torn apart alive was one hell of a way to go out.

The absence of the steady drum of explosions caused Josh to stir awake. He slowly sat up, looking around and suppressing a groan. A couple extra hours of sleep had been welcome, but he still felt like crap. "Looks like things are starting to calm down. Hopefully the support teams will be heading back soon." Annie was sitting next to him, glancing off in the direction of the wall.

"Then it'll be time to start picking up the pieces. I'm glad that this mess is going to be over." At least until the next crisis hit. Maybe next time, they'd be ready when it did.

"You should try and get some more sleep. It's not like you'll be put on assignment anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not allowed to do anything or else you and Christa will beat me right?"

"Don't put it like that; you make us sound so mean." She smirked. "Besides, it's not like you haven't been knocked around a few times, this'll just be the first time she helps me out."

"You, I can deal with. I don't want to know what **she's** capable of when she's mad." He lay back down on his pile. "I only made promises for today though, just remember."

"Okay mister smart ass, I'll be back to check up on you in a while and get the apothecary to draw up your next dose of morphine." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the warehouse. He was alone now, everyone else busily going about their tasks just beyond the doorway. Despite the boring nature of most of the duties assigned to their unit that day, he wished to do something, or anything, more than being forced to lay about in here. He rolled over and closed his eyes for want of something better to do. Minutes went by slowly, agonizingly, but he couldn't force his mind to shut down. He sat up again, rubbing his eyes in annoyance. _"This is crap. Why is it that I can't be able to sleep when I've actually got nothing to do? On top of that…why am I feeling anxious all of a sudden?"_ He'd been resting just fine until the guns stopping unloading. That couldn't be what had woken him; he'd slept through a lot worse yesterday. Though most would argue that being asleep and being unconscious were completely different things. Josh stood up and began slowly pacing along the breadth of the room, trying to pin down the pang of anxiety. What had happened to draw it out like this again?

The scraping of boots on wood drew his attention. "Hey there sleeping beauty, are you enjoying your day off?" Reiner had just entered, Connie, Jean, Sasha, and Bertolt behind him.

"Not particularly, no."

"You know, if Christa sees you up and about…" Connie began.

"I know, I know, she'll beat the crap out of me. Wait, does that mean that she and the others are back?" Josh couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice.

"I didn't see them yet. I think our squad is the first one. There wasn't really much work for us to do out there once we found the odd titan in our sector; the scouts wiped out the majority of them already so things were light." Jean was unfastening his 3D gear.

"Yeah, two seven meters and a four meter were all we ran into out there, none of them were even together. We could've taken care of them in five minutes if it hadn't been for all the gun smoke reducing visibility." Sasha shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Josh looked over at her.

"Well, with the cannons firing all of those explosive shells down into the city, it created a ton of dust and smoke, not to mention titan steam. The walls created something like a bowl that prevented a lot of it from being blown away. You could barely see thirty feet in front of you right around the inner gate. Good thing we found our titans before they found us; we'd have been screwed otherwise."

"You're kidding me. That's got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard; those kind of conditions could've gotten you all killed. Did command not check the situation before they sent you in, or did they just not care?"

"Well, with the officer who oversaw our deployment, it was probably a mixture of both." Bertolt said on his way by. What did that mean for everyone else? These were members of the top ten and they'd only made it through without a scratch because of luck. As he had found out, luck was often a harsh and unforgiving mistress. His friends were all capable, but they couldn't fight what they couldn't see. Titans weren't exactly the stealthiest of creatures, but they could definitely sneak up on you when the conditions were right. A thousand different worries and scenarios began running through his mind; his distress was visible. Sasha slightly regretted how honest she'd been.

Connie walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't get unhinged on us; your squad was sweeping the area around town hall. Most of the titans in that area were killed yesterday, either by Eren, or by last night's barrage. Besides, you guys did a hell of a job with helping Eren reach the gate; they probably kicked this mission in the teeth. It's likely that they have to drag Jansen back to keep him from joining up with the Scouts to kill more titans."

"Yeah…that makes sense. All the same…I think I'm going to wait for them outside. If Christa gets mad, I'll deal with it." He got up and walked out, fidgeting nervously. _"Everything's fine, everything's fine, everything is going to be just fine."_ The words kept repeating over and over in his head. He tried to shake off the worst of the unease as he exited onto the street. Connie was right, he had to be; any titans near the inner gate were likely to have been blasted to bits hours ago, this operation had just been a sweep while the Survey Corps tidied up around the breach. Regardless, it wasn't as though he could go look for them or anything. The fact remained that waiting was all he could do for the time being. He was going to look like an idiot when Christa had to scold him for not doing as she'd asked.

He sat and watched as the other squads that had been sent out began coming back. All of them were at full strength and looking no worse for the wear. The sun was close to its' zenith now, but he'd seen no sign of his friends. Lunch had started a good ten minutes ago, so perhaps they'd gone straight to the mess hall? He checked with several officers to see if Squad Seven had reported in, but each of them had answered no. His apprehension was becoming harder and harder to keep down. Things couldn't be taking this long…right? He tried to reorder his thoughts as a shadow covered him.

"It's been over an hour; I can't believe you're still sitting here." Much to his surprise, it was Ymir.

"Did you come over here just to give me crap, or do you actually need something?" he glared at her.

"Geez, don't get all hostile on me."

"Sorry, I'll be more polite next time." He said sarcastically.

She slapped him upside the head. "I get that you're on edge right now, but you don't have to be a dick Kassmeyer."

Josh was trying to keep his composure, and she wasn't helping. "Again, **do you need something**, or what?"

"Why are you subjecting yourself to this?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's painfully obvious what's going on, what's going through your mind, every horrible thing you can think of having happened to them out there. Agonizing over it is only hurting you, so why put yourself through the worry; it doesn't make any sense."

"Huh, that's funny it almost sounds like you care right now." He shifted his gaze back towards the inner gate.

"You know, contrary to what you think, I'm not some black-hearted bitch who doesn't give a damn about anyone. I just don't get all mushy with the emotional junk like the rest of you guys. Believe me; I'm concerned about them just like you are, mostly Christa, but still. That aside, are you going to answer my question?"

"I feel like I've had this talk with ten people and myself today. It's not like I want to be tearing my mind to pieces here, but when something feels off I can't help it. I just wish I knew what it was so I could stop obsessing." He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Sometimes, it's better not to know what's going on. If a person was aware of everything, it'd probably destroy them." Ymir looked off into the distance, as if she was talking to herself. She blinked a few times when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. In the direction of the gate, a group of figures were slowly approaching. The heat haze rising off of the sun baked road made it difficult to identify who it was from this distance, but someone already seemed to know. Josh quickly rose from where he sat and took off running. He tried to ignore the flare of pain brought on by the sudden exertion. Looks like he was going to have to deal with an angry little angel for a while, but at least he could be thankful they'd all made it back. After a moment, they were close enough for him to call out.

"**Finally**, ha-ha what's been keeping you guys all th…" He trailed off and slowed to barely a walking pace. Elise was walking toward him, supporting Aline. Aline's leg was tightly bound with a bandage and something of a splint, blood was seeping through it. Her head was down and her hair covered her face; Elise's eyes bore a dead stare. "Oh my God, what happened?! Are you two alright?" Neither of them spoke or acknowledged him, they just continued on. "Hey, hold up a second…" He put his hand on Aline's shoulder, but again they said nothing. The duo stopped for a second and Elise looked back over her shoulder shaking her head at him, then they started walking again. He turned around and into the embrace of Christa. She'd wrapped her arms around him tightly, she was crying. He was sort of confused, but hugged her as well. The sounds of her sobbing were muffled by his shirt. "Christa, what's wrong; what happened to Aline's leg?" She didn't say a word, just hugged him tighter. The crying seemed to get worse. She never got upset like this, what could possibly push her to cry this much? Why wasn't anyone telling him anything? Maybe Albrecht could tell him, he didn't see the lankly young cadet around anywhere though.

"Where are Alb and Jansen?" Josh asked.

Christa slowly lifted her eyes to look at him and his heart sank. The amount of pain and anguish etched into her features made him feel short of breath. "Kassy…I…I…."

He began to tremble and could feel panic rising in his throat. "Christa…where are Alb and Jansen?" She looked intensely into his eyes, as though expecting him to know the answer. She wiped some of the tears from her eyes and looked over her shoulder; he followed her gaze reluctantly. Face wreathed in shadow, Albrecht walked towards them, his footfalls heavy and dragging. It sounded as though he was crying as well. Cradled in his arms was a recumbent body with its' legs missing. He stopped about ten feet from them and fell hard to his knees. The impact caused the head of Jansen Duerk to loll to the side, facing outward.

Josh could feel his blood become as cold as winter. As if in a trance he gently brushed his way past Christa. All that he could see was Albrecht hunched over their friend. Josh knelt down, extending his hand to grasp Jansen's. When he did, the skin was like ice, its' pallor the shade of chalk. He felt not even the weakest of pulses. His friend's eyes were closed and he was completely still, as if in a deep sleep.

"Jansen…buddy, you there; are you…awake?" He asked the question, even though he knew he wasn't getting an answer. This…this had to be a dream. "Hey, come on man, wake up." He tapped on the side of Jansen's face, lightly at first, but then more aggressively as each successive slap failed to garner any response. "Mate, come on wake up…"

"Kassy-please stop."

He began outright smacking his friend across the face. "Open up your eyes you stupid prick, this isn't funny!"

Christa grabbed his arm to stop him, but he pushed her off and began shaking Jansen's corpse yelling at it. "What the hell is the matter with you huh?! Say something, anything, move your hand, your finger, I don't care, just show me you're still alive for God's sake!"

Albrecht finally tilted his face upwards and put his hands on Josh's shoulders. "Josh I'm sorry…I just…I'm sorry man, he's gone. . ."

"No…no no no. He can't be! This is impossible, we won, we'd made it; we lived! The battle was over what the hell happened?!"

"We ran into-an abnormal. We must have wandered into another squad's area, because it had already killed a group of Garrison troopers. We-I tried to draw the thing out of hiding, but we. . .damn it all we couldn't see a thing. It was on top of us before we even had time to blink."

"It was so fast, reflexes like an acrobat. Dodging, rolling, and tossing us like rag dolls, it was almost like it was adapting to counter our attacks. We'd have all been done for if Alb hadn't finally brought it down." Christa spoke barely above a whisper.

"I don't even know how I did it honestly… It's a bit of a blur in my memory and I just can't remember anything." Everyone was silent for a moment. "You know, with his dying breath…Jansen asked us to tell you thanks, for helping him end things on a good note."

"How did I…" Josh's thoughts returned to early that morning, the weird question that his friend had asked him; then it clicked. That advice he'd wanted, the whole going away metaphor, he finally understood. Jansen had known something was going to happen to him, maybe not what exactly, but he knew it would be bad. He didn't voice the realization, but inside, it twisted and contorted his soul. He could feel a knot forming in his heart as the weight of the deepening sadness started crushing him. Emotions rushed in like a raging river, flooding ever corner of his senses with fear, depression, sadness, helplessness, and finally hate. Small rivulets of saline were sliding down his cheeks as he balled his hands into fists. His breathing became hard and shaky as the anger built inside of him. He rose to his feet and began walking towards the inner gate.

"Kassy, where are you going?" Christa asked after him.

"I'm going to go find some titans, and rip them apart with my bare hands…"

"Josh, come on don't do this…" Albrecht scooped up Jansen's body.

"Don't try and stop me; I'm doing this."

"I understand how you're feeling, we're all feeling that way, but don't go do anything stupid!" She pleaded with him. His only response was a scowl over his shoulder and he kept on walking, despite his friends' protests. Then someone grabbed him and held his arms behind his back.

"The lady asked you nicely to stop."

"Ymir, let go of me." He struggled against her grip.

"I'm not going to do that and you know it. So you can either come back willingly or I'll drag you, the choice is yours."

"Damn it get off of me!" He squirmed around, which only served to make her tighten her grasp on him.

"Okay, dragging it is then." She began pulling him backwards. No matter how he struggled against it, she was definitely stronger that he was, at least right now. He growled and thrashed continuously to no avail, desperately longing to enact violence on the monsters that had taken the life of his childhood friend. He roared in frustration.

"If any of you bastards out there can hear me, I'm coming for you! I'm going to kill every last one of you that I see! There is no place on this earth that you will be able to run, be able to hide from me! I will grind your bones into the dirt and I will dance on your ashes; mark my words you're all going to pay if it's the last thing I do! Humanity will build monuments to your annihilation and not a single member of your race will see another century!" The tears were running like rapids now, stinging his eyes. He found himself giving into those tears more and more, fighting against his captor less. Within another moment, all he wanted to do was cry.

It wasn't long after that that the battle was declared won in its entirety. In addition to the vast number of titans eliminated, the Survey Corps had managed to capture two smaller ones for the purposes of study and research. The more they grew to understand their enemy, the better prepared they could be for actions against them in the future. With the extent of combat operations within Trost coming to a close, hospital staff and members of the army's medical corps had set about beginning the clean up process. Official casualty and loss reports were compiled for members of the high command and the first body counts were established based on remaining unit strengths. It was estimated that there were in excess of two hundred and seven soldiers killed in action, with hundreds more being counted among the wounded. For the forces of mankind's southern territory, calling these numbers devastating was a gross understatement. Despite being their greatest victory over the titans, this left a bitter taste in the mouths of even the most optimistic individuals. Commander Pyxis was reported to have said in his report to the government in the Capital District that _"A greater victory in the history of mankind we have never achieved, but I fear that a string of such victories will lead all that remains of our civilization to ruin."_ He held himself personally responsible for a significant number of the losses incurred during the recapture of the city, and later awarded a significant number of commendations for courage and valor to the soldiers, both living and dead, who had fought so bravely in the name of humanity. More than thirty such commendations were awarded to members of the 104th Cadet Corps.

The rest of that day held nothing but empty feelings for the members of Squad Seven. Most of them had to carry on with their duties despite the circumstances; they were hardly the only ones dealing with grief at the moment. Jansen's body was placed on a wooden table in the back of a large sectioned off medical tent. Josh had sat there next to it for the better part of six hours. A number of the other cadets had stopped by during that time but, he'd barely said another word to anyone. Annie had even brought in a tin of food for him, though he hadn't so much as looked at it. He'd just sat next to his friend's body, quietly sobbing to himself. A couple of hours into his vigil, he realized that he'd cried so much that he wasn't producing anymore tears.

As the afternoon carried into evening, a surreal calm had settled over everything. The mess area that had been erected just inside the gate was bursting with tired soldiers, and civilians returning from the killing fields. Hard to believe that it'd been an entire day since the wall had been sealed.

"So, how is he?" Jean ventured as their company partook of the evening meal.

"Still hasn't moved an inch. Annie went to take him another plate of food, but apparently he's refusing to talk to anyone or eat. That's what I'm told anyway." Erik sighed.

"I can't say I blame him. They won't send him out with the work parties because of his injuries, so there's not been anything to take his mind off of things." Reiner took a long swig of water from his canteen.

"They ask us to deal with a whole hell of a lot for our age don't they?" Alex rested his elbows on the table.

"What choice do they have? The fate of the human race is riding on people like us, and we're barely scraping by as it is."

"So yeah, no pressure right? God, some life this turned out to be." Jean sighed and leaned against his palm. If their first two days had been so brutal, one could only imagine what the future might hold for many of them. "One more thing I wanted to ask, it's kind of been bugging me for a while."

"Yeah, what's on your mind?" Erik looked over at him and everyone else's eyes followed.

"Has anyone seen Marco recently?"

Annie entered the medical tent to find things much as they had been the last time she'd come by. The troops with minor wounds were being patched up by medics before being sent on their way, and the more critical cases were being stabilized before they were transported to a proper hospital further inside the wall. With the night creeping in on them all once more, kerosene lanterns had been hung sporadically throughout the tent to provide at least some moderate illumination. The smell of the burning oil helped, at least partially, to cover up the smell of blood. When she entered the rearmost section however, she found Josh sitting in darkness. She set the tray of food down on a stool and walked over to him

"Hey…it's me again; how are you doing?" He didn't acknowledge her. " I know you don't feel like it right now, but you need to eat something." Again, he was silent, remaining hunched over. "Are you going to say anything to me?" For the third time—nothing. She wasn't quite sure why she'd thought that he'd be feeling any more talkative, but a thank you or even just looking at her would've been better than how he was at the moment. She looked down for a moment, trying to think of something else to say. She was hoping he didn't stay like this for the whole night, or if he did that he would at least eat a little. "Well, I'll be around if you need someone to talk to, or a hug, or just some company. Just do me a favor and pay Aline a visit sometime soon; she can't walk for a while with her leg the way it is and you're the only one that hasn't been by yet. I'll let you have some more time to yourself hon." She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and began walking out.

"He had a letter on him you know."

"What?"

Josh turned around on his chair. "In his breast pocket, I found this." He held up a folded piece of paper.

She was surprised that he spoke, albeit in a much more reserved tone. "What does it say?"

He slowly unfolded the page in his hand. He stared at it blankly for a moment, as if scrutinizing it. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat. "If you are reading this, then I am dead. That also means _that at least you made it out of Trost. I decided the write this because I know that I won't. I'm not sure I understand how I know, but I can feel it; deep down inside me. I don't know the circumstances of my death, or it's time, but it is coming soon. I only hope that I go out fighting alongside my friends. This letter…I guess you could call it my will or something. I'm not great at this writing thing, so I'll keep my requests brief and to a minimum. First, if you could, get a short letter and write to my mom and dad. I would prefer that they hear the news from one of my comrades rather than some officer. Also, for their sakes, just gloss over the details of my death. Let them know that I have no regrets about enlisting and fighting for our future. I knew the risks when I joined up. Second, if Josh is reading this, let everyone else know that I'm glad we got to have this adventure together. I know the rest of you will make it out of this mess. Lastly, I want my body to be burned. I'm probably missing a few pieces and I would rather not subject my parents to that sight; it wouldn't be right. I want to stay here, where my ashes can be scattered with those of my comrades. I know that if you were penning this, the words would have flowed out a lot better, less jumbled, but I wrote things down as I thought of them. It's not like I could've asked you to check my grammar, though I bet you would've. I know, poor place for a joke, but old habits don't die. Just do me a favor and…and write something about me in your book. You're going to tell stories about all of us remember? Just get…my story straight…I don't want to have to haunt your soul or whatever ghosts do. Take care of each other, since I can't harass you guys anymore…"_ Josh stopped, unwilling to continue. He clutched the paper tightly in his fist, crumpling it. "He knew, he never thought for even a second that he was going to walk out of here with us. Yet he just went along and kept his mouth shut about it. I can't believe him. Even in death he's still spouting all of the stuff he usually did, all this honor and sacrifice talk he never shut up about. It's just like him to try and turn something serious into a joke, even this. The things he'd say annoyed the hell out of me a lot of the time, but I'd give anything to hear him go on about glory or tell a crappy joke, just one more time." He half-laughed. "That sounded cheesy didn't it? I can't think straight after I read this damn thing."

"Maybe, but that doesn't matter, you're just saying how you feel. Real life is rarely as eloquent as you read in the novels." She knelt down beside him.

"You know, I keep expecting him to wake up at any moment. Then he'd laugh about how much we all cried over him…then Aline would deck him." He tried to laugh again, but it dissolved into sobbing quickly. He pressed his face into Annie's shoulder and she held her arms around him. "I must look like hell right now…" He said almost to himself.

"I don't care babe. Just let it all out, it's okay. There are days when you just need to cry for a while."

"Please don't go again…I don't…I don't want to be alone anymore."

"Don't worry; I'm staying right here, as long as you need me to." He sank off of the stool he was sitting on and deeper into her embrace, returning it in kind. It hurt her inside to see him like this, so battered and broken, emotional turmoil added to his physical wounds. She could feel the agony pulsating inside of him, as though a lead weight hung from his heart. It is said that only people whose love runs the deepest share each other's pain, and now she understood what that meant. The two of them stayed locked together for what felt like eternity, until long after the last of the day's light had vanished from the sky. In the corner of the tent, the mess tin of food sat, growing ever colder.

Elsewhere, Albrecht, Christa, Aline, and Elise had been trying to come to terms with things each in their own way. They all felt hollow, like a piece of them had suddenly been torn away. Aline stared up at the ceiling of the room she was in; she felt tired and sore. The surgeon had told her that her leg could've very easily been crushed when she was grabbed, but she hadn't even suffered a compound fracture. It hurt like nothing else she'd ever felt in her life, but at least the break had been clean. At least that meant it would heal faster. The bad part was, she wasn't going to be on her feet much for a while, so she had plenty of time to think. Most of her thoughts were on Jansen at the moment, and what he had said to her in his last moments. She hated it because he'd been right. It's kind of a strange feeling when a dead man is causing you to step back and take a look at yourself and who you really are, who you've become. How much had everything changed in the past three years? How much had everything changed in the past three **days**? Where did that leave them now; where was the road going to take them all next? A lot of it seemed surreal to her, like she'd experienced it from outside of her own body.

Elise had stayed in close proximity to Aline for a long while after they'd returned. Even though she'd only been a handful of feet away most of that time, she was off in her own little world, chained by the thoughts swimming around in the seas of her conscious. She was too shaken by what Jansen had asked of her to do much else besides sit there. That was one hell of a bomb to drop on someone you barely even knew. I mean, he'd basically asked her to replace him, to take over for him. How do you do that in a squad as tightly knit as this one was? Why did he decide on her though? Perhaps he asked her because she was the only one present at the time? No, that wasn't it. There'd been too much sincerity and conviction in his voice for that. It was almost like he'd had time to give the matter serious thought. So, what had he seen that she hadn't? She couldn't make sense of it no matter how she tried, and for some reason, that terrified her.

Christa sat outside on the front steps of an inn with her knees pulled up to her chest. For the first time in ages, she felt like she couldn't help anyone. The words of comfort and reassurance that had so long been her hallmark, those that had brought so many of her friends through times of strife and sorrow, she couldn't find any of them today. Every time she tried to come up with something, it came out messy. Even when she told them to herself, the words fell flat. She wouldn't be able to console anyone if she couldn't even find a measure of inner peace regarding the matter. Jansen had bled to death in her arms and there was nothing she could do for him, nothing anyone could have done. No amount of bandages or medical treatment could've worked in time to save his life. Then he'd gone and asked her on a date. What kind of madness possessed him to tell her that he's had a crush on her forever when he's dying? "How selfish could you be Jansen; why would you do this to me…if you felt the way you did?" She might as well have asked the stars that question for all the good it was going to do her.

Albrecht had gone off and secluded himself inside of a darkened alleyway. He paced back and forth, talking to himself, or perhaps he was less alone than it would initially appear. He could feel madness creeping in on his mind. Dark tendrils prodded him, lashed out at him, attempting to drag him down into the abyss once more.

"Why, why did you do this to me? I kept my promise, I did everything I could; we saved Trost! Yet you took him anyway, why?! I know you're out there, I can feel it so stop hiding in the shadows and answer me damn you!" His agitation was making it difficult to keep his voice low. Drawing attention to himself right now would be rather undesirable; it'd look like he'd lost it.

"Talking to yourself Cadet Johannes?" a voice said from behind him.

"So you finally decide to show your face…Sergeant Tanzerin." He turned and watched as the woman's face came into view, the light of a candle lantern casting a spot of illumination around the two of them.

"Is that any way to talk to a superior officer cadet? Some section commanders would find your tone insubordinate and have you flogged." She leaned against the wall.

"Did you come here to lecture me about rank and privilege or are you going to give me some answers?" His face was hard and the deep shadows cast about by the flickering flame gave his face a menacing appearance.

"I suppose I should give you the courtesy, so I'll let you ask three questions. But I will say that you may have many more after we're done talking."

"Why did you let Jansen die?"

"Ha, heading straight to the heart of things are we?"

"You could've taken me; hell, I'd have preferred things that way, but instead you chose him, why?"

"Death often carries purpose kid, you come to realize that the longer you're in this business. Your friend's case is no exception. It was the final domino in the chain so to speak, the gear turning the wheel of the future."

"Don't give me all that mysterious riddle bull shit, speak plainly."

"Let me dumb it down a little bit for you then. Your friend was meant to die here. Him merging with the infinite was the trigger for an important change. There are things that need to happen down the line, and none of it would be possible if he were still alive and kicking."

"What are these things you're talking about; what's going to happen?"

"Oh come now, I'm not some mystical fortune teller or whatever, you have to figure that out on your own. If people knew the future, don't you think they'd try their hardest to change it?"

"So these events, the ones that are coming, they are set in stone?"

"Yes and no. Jansen's demise may have set things in motion, but the outcome, where you are at the end of this, remains unclear. You're going to be heading down a crooked path here, and you're going to discover things you wish you hadn't, but how you deal with that is up to you. You're going to have to make tough calls out there, and they won't always be the right one. Such is the burden of command. You'll just have to do what you think is best and hope you don't screw things up in the process."

"So you understand why I'm worried."

"Kid, **everyone** under **my** command is dead. I know what it's like always trying to save everyone, to put their lives before your own. I did that for as long as I could. But no matter what you do, people are going to die. That's war, that's life, you gotta face that fact sooner or later. It won't make the loss any easier, but at least you'll be able to lie down at night and say you tried. If that doesn't do it, well there's always the bottle if you can find one, numbs the pain somewhat."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, the guilt will tear you to pieces on the inside if you don't learn to accept it. You'll lose your mind, go nuts, maybe even off yourself. I've seen it happen a number of times. You can only keep your sanity in check for so long when the stress starts to break you. For now, that's all the advice that I can give you; it's time that I got going." She stood straight and began walking deeper into the alley.

"Wait, I have one more question I need you to answer for me." He looked at the sergeant intently.

"I promised you three answers, I was being generous by giving you a fourth, but go ahead. Just make this one quick." She didn't turn to face him.

"I want you to be honest with me…are you real, or is this all just a figment of my imagination?"

She turned back in his direction. "Why would you ask me a question that you already know the answer to? You've got that part figured out already don't you?" She walked back towards Albrecht and got down close in front of his face, holding the lantern next to her face. " But I have a better question for **you**; do you believe in ghosts kid?"

"I…I don't know, maybe?"

"That's an interesting answer coming from you." She smiled at him in a way that was deeply unsettling. For a moment, it looked to him as though her eyes had become solid orbs of black. Behind her, he could make out the silhouettes of what looked to be a dozen or so other people standing in the shadows. He looked back at the sergeant's face for a moment, then, she blew out the candle. Albrecht blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the sudden return of near total darkness; he was alone. Tanzerin and the unknown shadows had vanished. After a moment more in the stillness, he turned and hurried out of the alley.


	15. Where We Go From Here

It had been almost forty eight hours since the breach had been sealed up; more than twenty four hours since Jansen had died. The morning following his death, the hospital staff had body removed and placed with the bodies of soldiers who had died of wounds following the engagement. Josh had taken that time to stop by and talk to Aline, see how she was doing. When he'd arrived however, she still slept. Deciding against disturbing her, he sat for a short time by her bedside, saying nothing. He wondered how she felt, now that she was in a position similar to his own. They were both wounded warriors, so to speak, just like hundreds of others. The wounds were deep, both physical and mentally scarring. Trost had taken these "kids" and shattered them as a rock breaks the waves on the sea. So, where do they all go from here? What was coming, how could they prepare for it; who was going to be next? A thousand questions with no clear answers, that's what they had left to them.

"Someone sure looks like they've seen better days." Aline said groggily, stirring awake and propping up on her elbows.

"Oh, hey, you're up. How's your leg?"

"Hurts like hell, especially since they set it last night. That hurt even worse than when it got broken." She rubbed her shin.

"Looks like you'll be off the line for a while then huh?"

"Yeah, for a few weeks anyway; I'm way better off than a lot of others though."

"So…how is everyone doing?"

"How do you think? We're all feeling really damn shitty. Elise has been pretty difficult to talk to; Christa has been quiet and a bit sulky, and Alb…"

"What about him?"

"I…I'm not sure how to put it. He's been walking around all morning, talking to himself. Actually…it's more like he's talking to someone that isn't there. He's also got this glazed look in his eyes, like…there's nothing inside him. Like he's just an empty husk; that's what Erik told me anyway." The tone of her voice conveyed just how much that disturbed her.

"What's happening to us…?"

"I think we're losing…no we've lost it. We can't take all the stress, so we're buckling, just like tons of others were two days ago." She lowered her gaze. "We weren't ready for this. We're probably **still** miles from being ready."

"So where does that leave us then?"

"I don't know, and the list of uncertainties just keeps getting longer the more I think about it." There were a thousand questions with no clear answers. Josh sighed and leaned against the wall of the tent and the two of them sat there in continued silence. It was becoming harder and harder to find the right thing to say, so half of the time, he said nothing. He was just as lost and afraid as everyone else right now. If yesterday was anything to go by, it was going to be one of the longest weeks of his life. At the end of it, the time of selection, where each of them would choose the regiment to which they would devote their service, and possibly their lives.

The sun had spent the majority of the afternoon creeping slowly across the sky, passing by the residual haze of smoke and embers drifting over the city. Ash fell from the sky like a gentle snowfall. The air smelled of brimstone and death. Horse-drawn carts were being piled high with corpses as those who remained went about the business of collecting the fallen. Many members of the 104th had been ordered to assist in this duty. The directive from Commander Pyxis stood;** every** soldier was to be brought home. Jean Kirstein wandered the desolate streets with a handful of other cadets as they searched for familiar faces among the bodies. Long latex gloves covered their hands and forearms, cloth masks were tied around their faces. Decomposing flesh had the great potential to spread disease, so they had to handle things cautiously. The group split up at a cross street to cover more ground.

_"__Damn it, how many more people will we need to bury when this is all over?"_ He thought to himself as he trod along wearily, stepping to the side to make way for a passing wagon. _"How many letters are going to be written home to tell parents that their kids aren't coming home?"_ He didn't envy whoever would be given the task. He stopped and looked around, taking in a measure of the destruction. His eyes fell upon a body slumped against the side of a building; he froze. Pieces of it were missing, namely half of the face and torso, but he could still recognize who was before him. "Marco?" He wasn't sure if he was talking to himself or the body. "I was wondering where he'd gone off to…what happened? I have to find someone who knows how he went out. Somebody had to have seen it right?" He started muttering to himself.

"Do you have a name for this one?"

"What?" He turned around to see an ashen haired woman in a long white coat holding a clipboard, a member of the hospital corps.

"Cadet, can you identify this soldier?"

"I…um…I can…yes."

"Then do it. We don't have time for this. I need you to understand that. It's been two days since we sealed the wall, and we're not even close to accounting for all of the dead. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the longer we leave these poor souls out to fester in this heat, the higher the chance that an epidemic will break out. If that happens, this victory will have been meaningless. We can mourn the fallen after our job is done, so please, I need his name." She had this intense and deathly stare in her eyes, like she could gaze right through a person's soul; it unnerved him.

"He's a member of the 104th Cadet Corps, captain of Squad 19…Marco Bodt." Jean kept his eyes fixed on his friend as the woman marked it down.

"Thank you. That's all I needed, carry on here." She walked away, leaving him to tend to the broken remains.

"Damn it Marco, how did you go and get yourself killed?"

"It's just another log to throw on the fire you know?" A voice from behind him said coldly. It was Albrecht. "If he was meant to make it out of here, he would have."

"What the hell is the matter with you? You talk about him as if he was nothing. I would expect you of all people to be a little more understanding considering what happened to Jansen; you lost a friend, just like I have."

"We are all equal in death Jean. Once we depart this world, our bodies become nothing but empty shells. When we're alive, we're measured only by what we can do, what we will sacrifice for others. That's how society determines our worth. Most of us are nothing more than numbers on a piece of paper when the higher ups have a look at the reports. That doesn't mean that there isn't a reason behind it though." He started to scoop up Marco's body.

"What's going on with you? You're not making a lot of sense right now." He looked at Albrecht, shocked at what he was hearing.

"She told me that they had to die so that things would happen the way they were supposed to. Jansen, Marco, all of their deaths were necessary, part of the web of fate that holds the world together. If I don't believe that, then our comrades would have died needlessly, and she would've been lying to me." He dragged the corpse over to one of the casualty carts and threw it on top of the pile.

"Who is she? What are you talking about?"

"Do you believe in ghosts Jean Kirstein?" Albrecht looked him dead in the face, his eyes dark and lifeless.

"No I don't. Once you're dead, that's it, you don't keep hanging around."

"I think you'll find that we understand precious little about what happens to us after we die." He turned and began walking, disappearing around a corner after a moment. Jean stood there for a moment before heading down the street to find the next body.

A number of blocks over, others were involved in a much more gruesome task than he was. Sasha, Christa, Ymir, Connie, and Alex, along with several Garrison Regiment soldiers had come across a huge meaty lump, the size of a merchant stand.

"What…what is this thing?" Sasha was shaking when she asked.

"Left over titan vomit." One of the soldiers said. "Apparently they don't have a way to digest anything, so once they've had their fill of people they…"

"Puke them out like giant hairballs?" Ymir reached the obvious conclusion. There wasn't any humor in her voice for once.

"That's sick." Sasha said not entirely to herself. Connie was gagging and Alex wretched up some of his breakfast onto the flagstones.

"I wonder who these people are." Christa whispered as she tried to tear her eyes away from it.

"We'll have to cut them out to identify the remains. Hopefully there's enough of them left to do that." A sergeant stepped forward with a large knife and began slicing into the translucent sack. "God, I've never smelled anything this disgusting." The young cadets watched as pieces of various individuals were pulled out of the gash in the membrane. As the work continued, they had amassed the body parts of some twenty odd people.

"Why is all of this happening?"

"We've been wondering that for over a hundred years haven't we?" Alex asked as he fought down the rising bile in his stomach.

"We'll probably still be wondering long after our time too, if we're not extinct by then anyway." Connie said.

In the town center, Annie worked alongside her group to clear their portion of the dead, or at least she tried to. She stood, nearly motionless, above the gnarled remains of a cadet lying in the road. The body was battered and broken, bones smashed to pieces in the moments before death. The face was contorted into an expression of intense agony, and soulless eyes glared up at her as if asking "Why?" The expression seemed almost accusatory, like the young boy was casting the fault for his death on her. In a strange sort of way, she felt like maybe he was right. She stared down into his fear filled emerald eyes and struggled to find something to say. It was made even harder when she imagined his final moments. Just barely more than a child clutched within the hand of a titan, screaming and crying about how he didn't want to die, that he was scared. Her hands shook at her sides.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm…sorry." Those were the only words that came to her. Reiner stopped next to her on his way by.

"Contrition isn't going to do them any good, not now. What they all need is a proper burial." Neither of them looked at each other, and he departed just as abruptly as he arrived. She stood there for another moment staring blankly at the cadaver. Annie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before stooping down to pick it up. She carried it on her shoulders to the nearest wagon she could find. She laid it gently in the bed with several others, opting to pull his eyelids down in hopes of giving some illusion of him having found peace in death, rather than unimaginable agony. She gripped the rim of the cart tightly, her voice remaining a whisper as she apologized again. She felt cold, despite the heat of the midday sun beating down on her back.

"It's hard, isn't it?" though it was soft, the sudden voice slightly startled Annie. She turned to look into the sad face of Elise Nadzieja; she carried half of a cadet in her arms.

"Yeah…it's hard. Looking at all of these people, robbed of a future, a family, a chance to do something in this miserable world…I feel worse with every new body I see."

"I know it's not much of a consolation, but I was told that you can't beat yourself up about it. We're not in control of who lives or dies." She placed her charge inside of the wagon.

"That's a good idea to hold onto. I hope it helps ease your mind when you sleep."

"I'm not sure if anything will for a while; I've got a lot on my mind, not just this. I…think I'm going to be making some…choices soon that I'm not sure I can make." She wiped a line of sweat from her brow and sat down, leaning against the spokes of the wagon wheel.

"It's not going to get any easier you know, probably even a whole lot worse. Still, hold onto any positive thoughts or ideas you can cling to. Have the conviction to believe that you're doing the right thing, no matter how painful that may be. There may come a day when that's all you have left." She pulled her bandana back up over her face and started walking away. Elise called out to her.

"Hey Annie…"

"Yeah?" She stopped walking, but didn't turn.

"Do you ever wish that you could just shut the world out for a while, and forget everything?"

"Yes…all the time."

When night began to cast its' shadow once more across the land, the vast majority of the deceased had been accounted for. A number of large funeral pyres had been lit in order to burn all of the bodies. There was no time and no place to put them in the ground, like so many had wanted to do. The members of the Hospital Corps had expressed the need for quick disposure on multiple occasions. The ever present danger of pestilence lingered the longer anyone was exposed to the dead. The only certain method of eliminating possible contagion was, as humankind had so long known, was incineration. There had been a notable objection to the order, soldiers having wanted to give families something to bury. They were forced to follow the command regardless. Someone had said that, in ancient times, the corpses of the fallen were often burned as a symbol of freedom, releasing their souls from their mortal coils so that they may move onto the heavens in the afterlife. Another among them had said that it was hard to think about heaven, when they were all living in hell.

A few score of the surviving members of the 104th stood around a trio of the bonfires, darkness hanging over their heads and their hearts as their comrades turned to ash before them. Most of those assembled there were silent, having few or no words to give at that moment. A few were crying, though whether it was sadness, fear, horror, or a mixture of all three, none could say. Josh stared deeply into the golden light of the flames. There was an almost hollow feeling inside of him, like he felt nothing at all. He was flanked by Elise, Christa, Ymir, Albrecht, Erik, Alex, Sasha, Connie, and even Aline, who had requisitioned a pair of crutches. Annie stood about fifteen feet away from him, along with Reiner, Bertolt, and Jean. The only ones missing were Mikasa, Eren, and Armin, who no one had seen since the battle. Rumor had it that Eren had been taken into custody by the Military Police and would be standing trial sometime soon. What the trial would be deciding however, none of them could say. Besides, there were other things on all of their minds right now.

One of the most prominent of these was regret. What had possessed them to attempt the mantle of responsibility that came with the uniform they wore, and the fate that many of those wearing it were destined to inherit. Why had any of them ever put it on? They'd been drawn into a world of sorrow and sacrifice, where you were never sure if you would see the next sunrise. Some of them had no doubt joined for the glory, some out of a sense of patriotism, others with the hopes of serving in the interior with the MPs. More still, there were those who had enlisted because they were too ashamed not to. Whatever their reasons, combat had rendered them equals, in life and in death. This was doubtless going through the mind of every survivor from their class. In the stillness, Jean crept forward and lowered himself to a crouching position. He reached down and took hold of a small fragment of soot covered bone that the fires had cast out.

"I'm sorry Marco. I'm not even sure which of these bones are yours anymore." He whispered. His gaze moved around the semi-circle of gathered cadets, wondering who among them was going to be next; he wished he'd never have to. As the fire roared and embers scattered into the starry sky, a realization was filling him. There would be no going back, never again. Regardless of individual reasons, they had all decided to become soldiers, and now they were bound to that fate. What they did with the options ahead of them however, would define them. They could stay behind these walls forever, cowering in fear like lambs. They could live their lives hoping for a better tomorrow, or they could make a brighter future possible, for themselves, for their children, for everyone. On the night of their graduation ceremony, Eren had said that being resigned to defeat was akin to blowing out the candle on humanity's survival. Even if there wasn't much of a chance that they could win against the titans, it was better to go down swinging. Don't take it lying down; fight for your freedom and if you weren't willing to, get out of the way. As long as one soldier was willing to take up arms, as long as one person stood in defiance of their enemy, the human race wasn't done. Although, none of them were near suicidal like he was. _"So, what are we going to do now?"_ Jean thought to himself. He remembered what Marco had once said to him, about being a leader and being brave. He felt indignation building inside of him. He'd never felt so angry, so nervous in all his life. With all of the lives lost, all of the pain, he couldn't in good conscience follow through with what had been his goal since the very beginning. He clenched the piece of bone tightly in his fist and rose to his feet.

"Hey guys, I've got a question for you…" All eyes went to Jean. He turned in the direction the cluster Josh was in. They were all looking at him expectantly. "Have you decided yet…which regiment you're going to join? I've—made my choice." His entire body was shaking and tears formed in the corner of his eyes. "It's going to be rough, but…damn it, I'm gonna join the Scouts!" Everyone was stunned. There was a stillness in the air, one so heavy that it suddenly felt hard to breathe. He was the last person you'd have expected to volunteer for the Survey Corps, and yet, he was the first one to decide on it. If you had asked anyone, they'd have said that it was more likely that the titans would try to broker peace with humanity and establish trade. None of them however, were able to respond to his question. The only sound that broke the quiet was the crackling of the fires as they spat embers up into the cold black sky. Even though the selection ceremony was more than half a week away, the cadets were now anticipating it more than ever. What side of the line were they going to stand on when the time came?

When many of the others began departing for their recently requisitioned bunk houses, the members of Squad Seven gathered together.

"Any of you see that coming?" Aline asked them.

"No, but it got me thinking about a few things." Christa had her hands folded in front of her face. "After everything that's happened, what's our plan; what are we doing?"

"I'm not sure I really want to think about that right now. We have a few days to go over everything, so maybe we should. The last thing I want to do anymore is rush things when we don't have to. Honestly, I just want to be able to forget about everything for a while." Josh rubbed his eyes wearily.

"Yeah…I think we all want to. We need to sleep on this at least, maybe for a day or two. I'm not sure it'll make the decision any easier though." Aline yawned.

"Well, whatever happens, I'm probably sticking with you guys. I don't see any reason not to at this point." Elise looked up into the starry night. "I don't know that I'll ever be able to fill Jansen's shoes like he asked me to do, but…"

"Nobody is expecting you to 'replace' him. That's not something anyone could ask of you either. We're not even expecting you to join up with us if you don't want to, but if you do officially decide on it, we're happy to have you. Jans trusted you enough, or felt you were good enough to carry on when he fell, so **we** have to believe in that."

"Thank you, it means a lot to hear you say that. I think that…it's what I should do; it's the right call. After Trost, I'm scared of what's waiting down the road, what might happen to us, but I don't feel as afraid when I'm fighting alongside you all."

Christa came in and gave Elise one of her characteristic hugs. "That's part of being in our family, in** your** family. We have each other's backs and trust each other to the ends of the earth. Being scared is okay, and it's a part of this job; we're all scared, but we overcome fear by standing together. That's how we survive." She'd always been quick to find the bright side of things, even amidst sadness or despair. It was even more impressive knowing that she was trying her hardest to smile even though she was in pain, just like they all were. That was part of what made her strong. Even at 4"9' she could somehow stand taller than anyone. Sometimes, Josh wondered where she found that well of inner strength at times like these. It was probably that strength that had saved his life several times. It had probably saved all of them more than once.

"I know we're having fun being all mushy, but we should get some rest. I doubt they'll be asking us to do anything tomorrow, you never know though. That and…it's more than a little depressing being here, so we should head back. There'll be plenty of time to go over things in the next couple of days. I'm sure we're all dead tired anyway."Aline straightened herself up on her crutches and turned to leave. Elise, Christa, and Albrecht all followed suit. Josh however, stayed standing where he was, eyes on the slowly dying flames.

"Kassy, are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be right behind you. I just need another couple of minutes."

"Do you want me to stick around for a bit?"

"No, it's fine. I'd like a moment to myself, go on ahead."

"If you need to talk at all when you get back, let me know, okay? Remember, we're staying at the boarding house by merchant guild." Christa trotted off after the others. Looking around, Josh could see that he was the only person remaining in the square. He got down on one knee and scraped some bone off of the ground. He tossed it into the fire and scanned the area near his feet for more fragments with which to do the same. After several throws, it became sort of like a morbid game of skipping stones, counting the cracks and pops each piece made as they danced around in the pit. After several moments of the repetition, he noted that his hands had been coated black by the soot, like the flesh of those that had been burning. He sat back and cast his gaze to the heavens. A lot of them had been gazing up the past two days, some for answers, others for solace and contemplation.

"I don't know if you're up there somewhere, or right here next to me on your way to being dust. Either way, I'm still talking to myself, but it makes me feel a little better. I honestly still can't wrap my head around everything: the titans, the war, all of it. I've got two roads ahead of me, and a decision to make. I know which path you would take. You were still willing to take that risk, even after what we saw happen here. I'd have been a little embarrassed to say it outright, even though in that regard, you were always braver than I was. You were zealous about it all sure, but you knew what needed to be done. You weren't content just sitting back here and letting things stand. You wanted to take the initiative and push toward a new horizon. Maybe that made you seem like an idiot to a lot of people, like a naïve child who wants the unattainable. I'm kind of surprised that you and Eren didn't become best friends; you had a lot in common with each other if you think about it." Josh shook his head, not wanting to get off track. He may have been talking to himself, but he felt like they were words he needed to say. "What I'm trying to get at man, is that you may have been the only one of us with any common sense. Things aren't going to get any better if we don't get out there and try to fix them. So, I think I might just be as crazy as you were now. I might be crazy enough to put the wings on my back, like you were going to. I don't know if I want to do this for you, for myself, or for everyone else's sake, maybe I don't even want to do it at all. It doesn't matter now though, the decision is pulling on me, and I don't think I can refuse it. I just hope I don't end up meeting you for a long time. I've got a long list of things I need to do before I die."

Not far away, submerged deep within the shadows, Annie Leonhardt stood watching him. A look of pain stretched across her features before she ran off into the night. Like so many others had, she looked up into the stars as she tore through the streets. _"Please don't do this to me."_

**One day before the selection ceremony…**

Most of the week had felt like it was all blending together. The days and nights seemed to pass without much notice, and the surreal knowledge that the city was beginning to return to normal was setting in. The citizens were slowly drifting back into the streets and reclaiming their lives as though the battle had happened six years ago, instead of six days. It almost looked like it had the day before the siege, the occasional ruined building serving as the only reminder of the event. Josh Kassmeyer walked the streets alone, thoughts weighing heavily on him. This was going to be the last night before the choice had to be made. He figured that it might be easier to clear his mind if he moved around the city for a while. The evening breeze was at his back and his hands were in his pockets as he trod the weatherworn streets of the downtown area. Some of the eateries and taverns had reopened in the last few days, and lamps were lit inside as people came in search of drink or dinner; soldiers were among them. Everyone he saw seemed so…happy. They drank, laughed, sang songs, and forgot their troubles, just as they had before. He cursed inwardly, wishing he could find some measure of the peace they showed. Peace, serenity, a sense of clarity, he'd been going on and on about those for days now. Each time he grasped for them however, they proved more elusive.

Even his jaunt around town, which should have been relaxing, was only adding to his discomfort. To make matters worse, sleep too had been even harder to come by. He'd awaken several times during the night because of dreams that he couldn't recall. If this kept up, his last nerve would be frayed, and he'd be gone. Tonight, he had to rest, no matter what it cost him.

On the return leg of his outing, he stopped at an herbalist shop, seeking something to calm his body and mind for a few hours. Maybe, it would help him forget things for a time as well. The owner had given him a valerian infused tea, which she said would ease his insomnia. She had offered it gratis, in light of both his age and the uniform he wore. "A token of thanks for one of the brave young men who saved Trost." That's what she had said. The words were hollow to him though. A good number of citizens had tried to paint the city's defenders, particularly the 104th, as heroes. He didn't feel like one. Most of the ones deserving of that title were probably dead by now. The only people left were either lucky or cowards. It was dark outside by the time he made it back to the boarding house. He heated a kettle of water on the wood stove in the common area and made a mug of tea before heading upstairs to try and sleep. He opened the door, the pale moonlight shone in through a window at the far end of the room, casting deep shadows on the walls. He sighed and shut the door behind him, taking a long drink of his tea as he strode over to his bed. He jumped when he heard the sound of the lock sliding into place. He spun around, his eyes trying to penetrate the darkness.

"Hello? Who's over there?" There was no response, but he could hear footsteps slowly edging across the floorboards. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" He tried not to sound nervous and he began running through his options after the intruder failed to respond again. His weapons were just across the room in the corner, but in the light of the window, he'd be seen making a move for them. He had no time to dive into the shadows either; they'd hear him as he tried to get around them. That only left one option, which he wasn't too confident of considering how tired he was. Josh put the mug down and got into one of the defensive stances he'd managed to glean from a certain someone after years of bruising.

"Alright asshole, you wanna come at me, go ahead. If you want me, then let's have it." The pace of the footsteps hadn't increased. They were still as slow and deliberate. The waiting was killing him, making him even tenser, and less likely to have a chance of winning the fight. It was starting to piss him off. "Just get on with it already. There are a couple dozen more soldiers in this building, so even if you get me, you won't get past all of them." He was shaking even as he said the words. The footsteps were close now, very close. He saw a boot enter the pool of moonlight and prepared to lash out. In the gloom there was a flash for an instant which made him pause. A pair of eyes, cold as the ice of winter. "Annie?" He inquired. The girl revealed herself out of the shadows, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Dear God, you scared the hell out of me. Why didn't you say…wait, what are you doing?" She was mere inches away from him now. She'd grabbed him firmly by the collar and pushed him backwards until he fell on the bed. He sat up to ask her again what was going on. The words caught in his throat when he saw her uniform jacket fall to the floor. She undid the bun that she always had her hair done up in and let it fall. She took the last couple of steps towards the bed and climbed onto his lap.

"Annie…"

"I think we both just need to forget things for a little while." She leaned down and kissed him, undoing the buttons of his shirt.

_"__Oh my God, is this really happening?!"_ His mind was racing and his heart was starting to pound. _"This is crazy; does she know what she's doing? Wait…do __**I**__ know what she's doing?"_

She put her hands on his chest. "Try and relax a little bit, okay?"

He flushed a little bit and tried to cover his embarrassment. He must have been easier to read than a children's book at that moment. "I'm sorry…I've just never done this before."

"That makes two of us. So we're going to take it nice and slow." She pulled his jacket down off of his shoulders, the shirt following close behind. "If you're not sure what to do, just let instinct take over."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why the sudden…" She kissed him again, cutting him off.

"Save the questions for later. Right now, let's just enjoy this." He was about to say something else when she bent down and kissed his neck. He covered his mouth to suppress the loud groan that tried to force its' way up his throat. That was the quickest path through his defenses. No matter what, she had him now, and they both knew it. He took as deep of breaths as the situation would allow, seeking to maintain his composure to some degree, despite what she was doing. What remained of his already fragile resolve was cracking under the pressure from his body. His hands were quivering, eager to do some exploring. He felt her lips brush against his ears.

"Go for it, I know you want to." His face turned a brighter shade of red for a moment, and he privately wondered if it felt this awkward for most guys the first time.

"How—are you able to be so cool and collected right now? Why don't you feel as nervous as I do?"

"Josh, I've known you for three years now. You've been making me feel awkward and nervous since the night you told me your name. After all this time, after everything that's happened, I don't think I need to feel nervous anymore." The air was still for a moment after she spoke as she waited for his response."

"That has got to be the sweetest and most adorable thing you've ever said to me. I can't believe how cute you looked saying that." Annie's face got a little red when he said it. She rubbed her shoulder absentmindedly, looking down to the side. Josh started snickering. "I guess I still got it huh?" She looked at him, mildly annoyed. "Hey, you're the one who said I needed to relax. It's a bit easier to do that when you're not being so intense hon."

"You're an idiot you know that?" She brushed her hair back, revealing a broad smile.

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot, remember?"

She laughed. "What am I going to do with you Josh Kassmeyer?"

There was a spark of mischief flying around behind his eyes for an instant. "Call me crazy, but I think you came here with a plan of action did you not?"

The moonlight pours into the room, rendering the both of them as not more than silhouettes and shadows on the wall. Two people move together as one entity. They've shut out the world, its' troubles, its' fears, and they've entered one of their own. They are a perfect storm, the both of them. Like the flash of lightning that accompanies the distant clap of thunder, they are bonded to one another, body and soul. Sensations and emotions that neither of them knew existed collide and explode like fireworks on that night, sending them spinning. Their skin is hot to the touch, and yet somehow as cool as the summer rain. There can be a million similes and metaphors to describe such acts of passion, but to those who are being written into the pages of their story, every attempt will ultimately fall short of capturing the true essence of that moment. They continued on, through the late night and into the early morning when they fell asleep, exhausted, spent. When the light of the midmorning sun kissed his face, Josh awoke to the sound of someone pounding on his bedroom door. He groggily glanced about his surroundings, the haze of sleep clearing from his eyes; Annie was nowhere to be seen.

Mildly confused, he pulled on his shirt and pants, dragging himself to the door. He pulled it open to see the startled expression of Alekzander Zielinski.

Josh yawned. "Hey Alex, is there a reason you had to wake me up?"

"We need to get down to the assembly hall right now. Get dressed and grab your gear."

"Why, what's going on?"

"The titans that the Scouts managed to capture during the battle, someone killed them."

The MPs had crammed everyone into the dining room. With rifles slung over their shoulders, they were watching and inspecting the gear shafts of every single cadet. Murmurs of confusion and unease floated between tables as individuals waited to have their equipment cleared.

"So, now we can **actually** get in trouble for killing titans?" One cadet muttered.

"Well they were valuable test subjects remember?" The person next to him responded.

"I know that. The thing I can't figure out is, why do they think one of us did it? Nobody's gotten any sleep all week, who'd have the energy?" The voices of the inspecting officers echoed around the chamber.

"What's your unit and name?"

"I'm with Squad Seven, Cadet Christa Lenz, sir." They looked over her mechanism, eying every centimeter for signs of use.

"When did you last replace this shaft?"

"Five days ago, on the morning that followed the clean up."

"Alright, everything seems to be in order; you're cleared. Moving on, who's next?!"

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would somebody do this?" Josh whispered.

"Is it really that hard to believe?" Alex looked over at him. "Hell, a lot of people would jump at the chance to carve a helpless titan to pieces. Show them what it's like with the shoe on the other foot."

"They've probably done more damage to things on our end than anything. I heard that they were getting really valuable intel out of these two, now that's all lost. Lost for nothing more than what, a personal vendetta?"

"It's done now though, not much we can do to fix it."

"Just hours before the selection ceremony too; not the best time to put some more stress on us." Christa sighed.

"So, have either of you…made a decision yet?"

"I'm still mulling it over. I could go any of three ways, but I don't know."

"I think I'm going to join the Scouts…"

"Kassy?"

"Are you going off your nut man?"

"I don't even know if I can be called sane anymore. But, Eren's had a point all this time if you think about it. This is never going to end if we don't fight. When I'm older, I don't want my children to have to live with the fear of being eaten alive. Jansen once said that he wasn't content to just sit behind the walls forever, and I don't think I am anymore either."

"You do know that the odds…"

"Of living very long are low, yes I realize that. I can't ignore the possibility that I'll die."

"Does Annie know about this?"

"No…no Christa she doesn't. She'll try to talk me out of it if I say anything to her anyway. I feel like I wouldn't be able to say no to her if she asked. So until the deed is done, I have to keep my mouth shut."

"This isn't fair to her you know."

"She's part of the reason that I'm doing this, a huge part. I don't want us to spend the whole of our lives fighting. I want to be able to settle down with her, buy a house in a quiet village, raise a couple of kids; I want to have peace. I want my mom and dad to be grandparents one day, to be able to walk out there beyond this cage and taste the freedom so many have bled for. I won't wait for someone else to stand in front of me and fight for that." Far across the room, at another table, Annie stood with Connie and Armin, had shared similar topics of conversation. She could see Josh from where she stood. Unable to hear him, she read his lip movement. The word scouts, and the intended context, were plain as day. This was one of the hardest times she'd ever needed to keep a straight face.

_"__Why didn't you say anything to me? Why didn't I say anything to you? If you're trying to play the knight in shining armor you should stop. That's not what I want. Doing something all 'noble' and 'heroic' isn't going to get you anywhere; it's only going to get us both hurt."_

In the end, the investigation yielded no promising leads. Not a single member of the 104th was found to have recently made use of their ODM gear. The MPs were left with a dead end until they did a more thorough examination of things. For the exonerated young soldiers, the day was spent quietly fretting over what was about to transpire when night fell. There was supposed to have been two hundred and eighteen of them present for this, instead there were down more than a third from that number. They had assembled in an outdoor amphitheater and stood in a loose formation. The words of the officers leading the ceremony were awaited with anxious ears. The boys and girls of Squad Seven found themselves immersed in the crowd near the front of the formation; even Aline had managed to make her way to the event, despite the distance and difficulty. What little chatter was going on amongst everyone quieted as a tall man with blonde hair strode out onto the stage in front of them, the light of several small fires illuminating him.

"Good evening to you all. I am Erwin Smith, commanding officer of the Survey Corps, also known as the Scout Regiment. Tonight, after your arduous three years of training and a bloody baptism of fire, you will choose your regiment. I won't dance around the issue so here it is. The Scouts need you, every warm body we can get actually. Having faced the last titan attack, you now know what they are capable of, and the limits of your own skills. However, in the aftermath of this most recent battle, we have been given a new chance for victory. I am referring to Eren Jaeger. He has selflessly risked his life and proven his unwavering loyalty to our cause. His power has given us a new hope. He has not just helped us to push back the titans, he has perhaps given us the key to determining their origin." Erwin paused for a moment, allowing that chunk of information to settle in. Gasps and whispers of surprise rippled throughout the gathered troops. "Our intelligence suggests that Jaeger's home in Shinganshina holds a vital secret regarding our enemy. We are already in the process of gathering an expedition force to find this secret. When we discover it, we can use it to break free from the titan's hundred year reign of terror once and for all!"

"The surprises just keep coming with that kid don't they?" Erik muttered under his breath.

"We finally have a chance to bring them down, after all this time." Aline said, only half to herself.

Albrecht leaned in close to her. "There's more to this than meets the eye, just wait. Give it a little time and things will open up for us. Someone is hiding something."

"Where in the hell are you getting that idea?"

"She told me."

"Who is **she**? What are you talking about?" He didn't respond.

Erwin paused for another few seconds before continuing. "Now, before we can reach the aforementioned cellar, another problem must be dealt with. We must retake Wall Maria. As you may surmise, this is much easier said than done. Considering the fact that the gate here in Trost has been permanently sealed, we will have to make all future expeditions from the Karanese District to the east. In addition to lengthening our journey by an exceptional degree, this means that the travel route that we have spent the last four years establishing is completely useless to us. In those four years, our regiment has incurred casualties at rates exceeding sixty percent. Sixty percent losses in **four years**, that's a horrifying figure. One month from now we will conduct a recon mission beyond the walls. Recruits from among your ranks will be expected to take part in the operation. I estimate that one in three will die. After a period of four years, most of them will be dead, but those that endure will be amongst the strongest soldiers alive." A palpable chill swept over the cadets. Their spirits, so recently risen to grasp at a glimmer of hope, were laid low again by the reality of the undertaking.

"Now, having heard this dismal state of affairs, those of you who still wish to put your life on the line and join us, remain here. Before you make that choice however, ask yourselves this question. Can you give your hearts; can you give everything for humanity?! That is all I have to say. Anyone wishing to join other regiments, you are free to leave." The whole place was for a moment, as quiet as a tomb. The bluntness with which he had delivered his speech had shocked everyone. Even the scouts that were present seemed to believe that he'd laid in on a bit too thick. Who in their right mind would want to stay after all that?

Down amidst the formation, nerve wracked cadets exchanged glances with one another, and many began turning to leave. A handful at first, but then dozens of them, scores. Annie was among the flow of those withdrawing. She got a glimpse of Josh as she walked away, he was standing almost stock still. His fists were clenched tight at his sides and his eyes flitted from left to right. Maybe he was still undecided, unsure whether this was the path he really wanted to take. She could hope for that at least. She would wait by the doors into the area to see if he remained when the dust cleared.

Inside the minds of those still holding fast, it appeared as though their resolve was attempting to drown itself in a sea of despair, as to carry them all away with the outgoing tide.

_"__Stop shaking damn you; this was your decision, no one else's. You've made up your mind haven't you? You're doing this for all of them right, all your friends, everyone you love. I…I can't just back out at the one moment it really counts."_ Josh tried not to focus on how many people were leaving. Many of his friends were having similar conflicts raging inside of them.

_"__I'm scared…is this what I really want? I see them all, standing there like stone, like they're not afraid like I am. I…promised that I'd stay by them all, that I could be strong enough, no matter what choice they all made, but am I __**that**__ strong?"_ Elise felt numb, like she was rooted into the ground, unable to even breathe.

_"__Why am I feeling this way? I made it into the top ten, I could go anywhere I want, be anyone I want, but I can't leave everyone. My mind is telling me to run, while I still have a chance, but I don't want to run; that's not…the kind of person I am. I have to stay, I have to protect my friends, my family, just like I always have." _Christa felt like the shadow of the world was trying to swallow her.

_"__We can't leave, we can't hide from this. There's no going back for us, not after what we've seen."_ Aline's voice echoed inside her head.

_"__Not after my I've seen my comrades butchered like animals…" _Erik closed his eyes.

_"__Not after I've seen them up close…"_ Alex tried to hold everything together.

_"…__and seen how they eat people." _Albrecht gritted his teeth together, feeling completely lucid for the first time in days. The weight of what was expected of him pushing down on his heart. Each of them squeezed their eyes shut as tight as they possibly could and they waited. The sounds of their pounding hearts drowning out everything else. The seconds seemed to pass like hours in that moment or two they stood there, like time wanted to stand still for all of them. Permanently freezing them in this instant of trepidation and fear. Collectively, they all let out the same scream from the depths of their souls.

**_"_****_Never again! No more running, No more pretending, No more excuses. Damn it all, I AM A HUNTER. The enemy will know my name and fear me! I will march into the pit of hell itself for my comrades and my family! From now on, we're going to be the ones who bite back!"_**

It was still for a time. They all just stood there, still rooted in place. There were nineteen of them remaining. Nineteen cadets who stayed. Josh Kassmeyer had his eyes fixed forward, directly on Commander Erwin.

"I ask you, if you were ordered to die…could you do it?"

From the rear of the group, Alekzander Zielinski roared at the top of his lungs. "WE DON'T WANT TO DIE, SIR!"

Erwin adopted a wry smile, the comment amusing him. "Of course, let us hope that you don't then. You who have stayed, you are now one of us. This is a genuine salute soldiers; together we give our hearts!" He clasped his right fist over his chest. There was a resounding clap as the cadets standing before him came to attention and held the salute in kind.

Everyone among them was shaking and sweating, some of them were crying, not quite believing what they had just done. Josh let out what felt like the heaviest breath in his entire life. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he turned his head to see who had stood with him. A relieved smile creased his face and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. They were all there. Aline, Christa, Albrecht, Elise, Ymir, Jean, Sasha, Connie, Reiner, Bertolt, Alex, Erik, he even saw Mikasa and Armin at the front. Everyone had stayed. Everyone…except Annie.

"You standing before me have worked through your fears; you have proven yourselves courageous, and each of you has my respect." Erwin spoke the last of his peace and nodded. Down in the small crowd, the cadets all looked at one another.

Aline took a deep breath and spoke. "So boys and girls, since we all decided to up and almost certainly sign our own death warrants…what do we do now?"

In the distance, far from the touch of the fire light, Annie had watched, and waited. After another moment, much as she had done several nights earlier, she turned and headed off into the darkness.


	16. Our Choices, Our Promises

"I can't believe we just did that." Sasha said, only half to herself. The cadets were all filing out of the amphitheater together.

"Well that was officially the most intense moment of my life." Alex was still breathing a little heavily.

"Yeah, no kidding, you really got fired up there at the end; nice job man." Erik clapped him on the shoulder.

"So, do you think he was right?"

"What do you mean Connie?" Elise looked back at him.

"You know…when he said most of us would probably die…"

"That's the last thing we should be thinking about right now guys. The time for second thoughts has passed; we're all doing this for a good reason right?" Jean gestured around the group.

"Yep, saving the human race and all. That's the idea isn't it? And would you all slow down for the love of God; I can't walk that fast on these things." Aline said from near the rear.

"Do you need someone to carry you?" Reiner asked.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't turn you down if you offered." She said it in an overly flirtatious voice. Everyone paused for a moment and then laughed. Whether or not she was joking, it eased the tension they were all feeling by a mile. It was a brief, but welcome distraction. A peaceful silence held sway for a few minutes as the cohort continued on down the dimly lit street, their heads held high. Most of them were scared out of their minds, but they kept their fear in check, a task that the job was forcing them to master.

Armin was the next one to speak. "So, we have orders to ride northeast tomorrow. I guess we're reporting to a staging base to prepare for the operation next month."

"I wish they'd given us more time to pack, but I'm glad we don't have to walk. That force march when we came here for graduation just about killed me." Ymir stretched and yawned.

"What is there to pack? It isn't like we're moving or anything; we grab our packs and saddle up. That takes what, five minutes?" Alex sounded confused.

"Well excuse the hell out of me for wanting to rest another day or two. It's not like we earned it or anything right?" She sounded more than a little irritated. She'd been peaceable enough these past few days, which was rarer than finding gold in a salt mine if you asked anyone. Luckily Christa was there to bring her back down, as she often needed to.

"She does have a point though if you think about it." Josh stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Less than a day isn't much time to get everything together and say all your goodbyes." They were leaving the vast majority of their classmates and comrades behind when they departed. People they had built three years of memories with and shed blood alongside. It was sad to think that they may never see them again.

Josh Kassmeyer had two very important things he had to do before they began the ride the next day. He had to find some new paper to fill his journal for starters. Joining the Scouts was sure to provide a lot of note worthy events to write down, even if they were horrifying. Second, he had to find Annie and talk to her. There wasn't a shred of doubt in his mind that she was going to be less than ecstatic about his choice, maybe somehow she already knew about it, but he had to offer an explanation at least. What words of comfort and reassurance can you offer the person you love when, in the eyes of many people, you might as well have died the moment you returned Erwin's salute? It was more than a little disheartening to know that people had that little faith in the Survey Corps. He hoped to God that **she** hadn't written him off like that too.

The cadets moved deeper and deeper into the city's maze of streets, the flames of streetlamps casting their shadows high along the building walls. If one were to listen closely, it is said that you could almost make out the low booming of war drums in the distance.

Most everyone was up early the next morning, not that many of them had gotten a lot of sleep anyway. Luckily for the tired troops, Sasha and Christa had been saintly enough to brew a pot of heidelbeere tea to get them all started when they shambled downstairs around seven thirty. How the two of them were so wide awake and cheerful was beyond comprehension. Still, in this line of work, you NEVER look a gift horse in the mouth. The smallest of pleasures were often the most needed, and it always helped to raise morale. After they'd drank, they split up to take care of whatever needed doing before they were to depart at noon. Everyone had something different they wanted to accomplish during their last few hours in Trost. Something meaningful, something enjoyable, or in Ymir's case, something along the lines of cuddling, with Christa, an opportunity which most guys, and a few girls, would likely kill for. She politely declined the offer, citing that she needed to do a few things. Ymir groaned and headed back upstairs to lie down anyway.

"You know you're going to have to decide what's going on between the two of you someday. She's patient with you, but she'll want a yes or no answer eventually." Josh turned to Christa once Ymir had disappeared from view.

She plopped down in a chair and rested her chin on her palms. "She's not the only one you know. As you've mentioned countless times, I've got at least a hundred admirers running after me; she's just the most forward. When everybody has a crush on you, it's really stressful. Makes me wish I could switch places with someone for a few days and relax."

"Being sweet and adorable can be a curse sometimes huh?"

"Yeah, but that's who I am I guess."

"That's what we love about you though. We wouldn't have made it this far without you being who you are. Ask anybody and they'll tell you that Christa Lenz was the beating heart of the 104th. You'll figure out where yours is someday, everyone does, so don't sweat it right now."

"I know Kassy; it just gets a bit overwhelming sometimes."

"Life feels like it's been nothing but overwhelming for a while…"

Christa paused for a moment before saying anything else. "So what are you going to say to Annie?"

"I don't know; what can I say? She's a huge part of why I'm doing this, but I doubt she'll see it that way. I'm afraid she'll think of it as me leaving her, that she'll think I'm just marching off to die."

"Well, all you can do is say what you need to and hope for the best. Just keep your purpose in focus, and you'll be able to do this. She still won't like what she hears, but maybe she'll understand why you made the choice. Either way, you should get going; it's almost nine." She came up and gave him a hug. "Best of luck, and we'll be waiting for you at the rally point."

His was racing with all sorts of possibilities are he walked through the streets. What exactly was he going to say and how? What was she going to say and do in response? He'd never felt this nervous about talking to her, not even when they first met. **He** was by no means certain that he'd come out of the Scouts unscathed, so how could he even begin to try and convince her? Josh privately wondered how all of the soldiers before him managed to assuage the fears of their loved ones before going off to war. Had they even been able to do so? So many questions that he couldn't answer, that's how the whole week had been. He was so focused on planning his conversation with Annie that he just went through the motions with everything else, like he was in a trance. The world around him was blurry and every sound was dull and jumbled in his ears. None of what was going on mattered right now. He'd even gone into the printmaker's shop and bought his journal paper without even realizing he had. It sort of made him feel like he'd left his body for a while to sail the waters of uncertainty inside of his conscious. Being lost in thought however, yielded nothing to ease his burden; this was still going to be the hardest conversation in memory for him.

Annie Leonhardt still lay in her bed. She wasn't asleep, she hadn't been for hours and when she had slept it was anything but restful. How was she going to get through this? She'd had so many opportunities to talk to him, but she'd avoided this subject each time, or she hadn't spoken to him at all. Even up until the last second, there'd been some shred of hope in her mind that maybe he would change his. She'd seen him though, standing steady and tall with everyone else, his choice was clear. So now what? Even if he wanted to, was the option of staying open anymore? Could he possibly change regiments now? There probably wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that they could be stationed near each other, but at least he'd be safe if he joined the Garrison. Her eyes fluttered closed and a single tear escaped out of the corner. There was a lump in her throat and a knot in her chest, both growing tighter every passing moment. This was bound to be one of the hardest conversations of her life, and she had no idea if she could keep it together. She tucked her knees up to her chest and whispered softly to herself. _"Why is this happening to me, why now? I want this to be a nightmare so I can wake up already. I'm scared…"_ A moment of deafening silence passed. A knock on her door a minute later caused her to bolt upright. "Josh…" She ventured.

"Annie…can we talk?"

She turned and put her legs off the side of her bed facing the door. "It's open, you can come in." He stepped into the room. His uniform and accoutrements were on and a pack was slung over his shoulder. "You came to say goodbye huh?"

"Sort of, I've got an hour and a half before they need me in formation. Mind if I sit with you?"

"Yeah…go right ahead…" The two of them sat quietly for the next few minutes as they each tried to figure out what to say and how to say it.

"I'm sure you're not very happy about me doing this…"

"That's putting it mildly I think. I'm sure you've put together some kind of reason though right?"

"I'm doing this for you, for both of us."

"I didn't ask you to do it, and I don't want you to. Can you honestly look me dead in the eye and tell me that you think this is a good idea?" Her voice rose a little.

"Eren's been right this whole time you know. We have to push ahead and take the fight to the enemy. They've been witling us down for years now, chipping at what's left of humanity. If we stay behind these walls, it only prolongs the inevitable."

"So why do **you** have to go? It's not like one soldier would be the deciding factor in the end."

"Because I'm not going to sit by and let someone else fight my battles for me. I'm going to make it so that my kids, **our** kids don't have to grow up living in fear. I want to be able to see the horizon when I look out the door in the morning. Can you imagine a world without titans, where we're all free to chase our dreams and carve out a destiny for ourselves? I want that for us."

"Going to go off and be my 'hero' my 'knight in shining armor' that your plan?" There was agitation in her voice that she couldn't hide. "In fairy tales, there's always that guy trying to slay the dragon and save the princess. Prince charming wins and they both live happily ever after. The stories they don't tell you though are the ones where the hero dies trying to be all noble and brave, then the princess is left all alone without the one she loves. Those are a lot closer to reality. You think you're the first guy to say he's going to be the one to change the world? I bet there are tons of sad families out there that had their father or husband or fiancée tell them the exact same thing that you're telling me now."

"It's not like this is an easy decision for me; I've never felt more conflicted and scared honestly. I look at the odds and what I'm risking and it's hard to feel good about it sometimes, but I know that this needs to be done."

"If you're feeling that way then don't go. Talk to one of the officers or somebody and say you want to switch regiments before it's too late, before you go and get yourself killed."

"You know they wouldn't let me do that. Heck, even if they did I can't let Aline, Alb, and Christa do this without me. After losing Jansen I can't just stay here and play it safe while they're out in titan territory; we're a team and they need me."

"And I don't?!" She shouted at him.

"Annie, that's not what I meant and you know it. I don't plan on getting myself killed either. It's like I said at the supply depot all those days ago, I'm always going to come back to you."

She stood up and started walking across the room. Her voice was barely a whisper. _"I don't think anyone is going to come back from this."_

"Babe, I know things are going to be more than a little dangerous out there, but I thought you of all people would the **last** to write me off on this decision." He went over to her, turning her around and placing his hands squarely on her shoulders. He smiled as best he could to try and bring her some semblance of comfort.

She looked into his eyes at the moment. The seriousness in her expression was almost haunting and the emotion was almost gone entirely from her voice. "Let me ask you something. Are you fully prepared to accept whatever comes of this? Are you certain that this is the path that you want to go down, because once you start walking you can't stop and turn around?"

"I know that right now it doesn't seem like it, but in the long run I feel that this will have been the right call to make." Annie gently pulled herself away from him and went to the window. She stared up at the azure sky as the clouds drifted across it.

"I saw you at the bonfire the other night you know, when you were 'talking' to Jansen. You've been sounding more and more like him these past few days. Going on about duty and doing what's 'right', and now picking up where he left off. Maybe if he was still here things would be different and we wouldn't be having this conversation. Maybe if I'd have said something then, maybe you wouldn't be leaving…"

"Hey, don't be like that. Thinking about what ifs and things that might have been isn't something you should dwell on. Sure I'm joining the Scouts, but I'm going to come back, you know I am. I'd fight through anything to get to you and I always will. I could be on the other side of eternity and I'd still find my way into your embrace."

"Nothing short of poetic, exactly what I'd expect from you. You're failing to notice one important thing though, that's not a promise you can make or keep with any certainty. You're going to go out there on this mission, come back and then what? Assuming things work out and you live through a few expeditions, you'll just be sent out again, and again, and again. The commanders are going to keep sending people out until there's no one left or they can claim a victory. War is a game of chance and you either die or you don't. If you repeatedly shoot an arrow straight up, it's only a matter of time before it hits you on the way down."

"In this world, we roll the dice every morning that we get out of bed. Death is going to constantly be knocking at our door; that's how it was in Trost, that's how it will be anywhere, we're soldiers. I've told you that I want a better life for us than that. Don't you think we deserve that much?"

She sat down on the windowsill and brushed her hair back. "You're running headlong into a dark tunnel without a lantern. At the end of the tunnel, you can see a little pinprick of light stabbing out at you, you're hoping that there's something worthwhile at that other end waiting for you, but you don't know what you're going to run into on the way there, what you're going to find. You're going to have to face that, because you made the choice to head in. But this is a trek you're going to have to make on your own. I can't come with you, and I don't think I'll be able to be on the other side waiting for you."

Josh felt his heart growing heavy in his chest. "Annie, don't do this."

"We're both better off this way. Staying together is only going to hurt us worse down the line, in ways you can't imagine."

"So what was two nights ago about then? Why would you do that to me, to yourself, if this was all that was going to come out of it?"

"I don't know. Maybe I thought I could change your mind. Maybe I wanted things to have a good note to end on if and when you chose this path, or maybe I just wanted to forget the world for a while. We shared a moment of blissful freedom, an intimate moment, and I knew things were going to be different from then on. It just didn't turn out to be different in the way I'd wanted. Fate likes to yank the rug out from under you when you're most vulnerable it seems. So, sometimes it's just best to walk away from things while you still have the courage to."

"So what, are we done? After everything we've been through together in the last three years, the last **ten days**, we're just going to throw that out the window and part ways?"

"Don't you even go there. You think this is something I wanted to do?! I was hoping and praying that this was the last thing in the world I would ever have to do, but this is the hand we've been dealt now! You've made your choice, and I had to make mine! You may not believe me, but **I** did this for **us** too. If I didn't, we'd both end up having our hearts and souls torn to pieces. Just please don't make this any harder than it has to be; I don't want to look back on this and feel any worse than I do already." Despite her choler rising, she kept from yelling, even though she desperately wanted to. She wanted to call him an idiot and ask him why he'd gone and forced this on her. She was mad at him, at Jansen, at the others, and at the world for doing this to her. Within the anger she also felt despair, regret, and sadness. That part of her wanted nothing more than for it all to be a delusion or a dream. She wanted to hang onto him and never let go, but she couldn't do that, not now. There might never again come a day when she could do so much as see him. They both had journeys that they needed to make, and like his, hers was one she had to make alone. They couldn't walk down this road together anymore. The only thing they could take with them would be memories of better days.

Josh wasn't sure what to do. She looked pissed off, but she was fighting back tears like he'd never seen. It was as though every bit of emotion was trying to force its' way to the surface at the same time. He could lose almost anything he'd ever had in his entire life, but he couldn't allow himself to lose her. If that happened, he'd never forgive himself. So what does he do now? He does the only thing that he's still able to.

He walked over in front of her and knelt down on one knee. He took her hand and pressed it tightly between both of his, locking his eyes on her own. "There's going to come a day, I don't know how far away it is, but when it comes, when all of this is over, I'm going to find you. I'm going to marry you and we're going to start a family together. I don't care how long I have to wait for that, because it'll be worth it. I'm going to weather whatever storms come my way to make it there."

She turned her gaze away from him. "I think you should go."

He let out a long sigh. "Annie I…"

"I don't want to hear it…please, just leave okay?"

"Can I at least…"

"Get out of here!" She pushed him.

She didn't have to urge him further. He got to his feet and went to the door. Before he closed it behind him, he glanced over his shoulder at her. The look on his face made her felt like someone was twisting a knife inside of her heart; she lowered her head so she wouldn't have to see it. The sound of the door latch sliding into place a moment later confirmed that he was gone. She got up slowly and walked over to her knapsack off of the chair in the corner. She rummaged deep down into its' pockets, pulling from their depths a plain silver ring. She gave the item a flick with her fingers and a single curved claw popped up from inside. She clutched the ring tightly in her fist. Her grip became more and more clenched the longer she held onto it, eventually producing a few drops of blood which fell to the floor like rain off the roof of a house. With Josh gone she now fully gave into the flood emotions raging inside of her. She grit her teeth and bit her knuckle to stifle the sound of her own crying. Tears ran in small rivers down her cheeks and stained her shirt; she was in agony. Everyone has their own battles to fight, their own crosses to bear, their own inner struggles to overcome, but the weight that such things put on our souls varies greatly. Hers felt like its' mass exceeded even that of the walls themselves. Such was the hand she had been dealt. The cards would be forcibly played soon, one way or another. That had always been inevitable, but it always seemed so far away that she never imagined what she'd actually do or say when the time finally came. She'd never thought that she'd need a plan for if he was going out there with **them**. How was she going to do what she needed to if she had to worry about Josh getting caught in the crossfire? The thought of him getting swept up in all of this terrified her, to the point of feeling sick. At this moment, all alone in her room, Annie Leonhardt felt like nothing more than a scared little kid, trying to hide from the thunder during a heavy storm. But no matter how hard she tried to cover her ears, the thunder just got louder and louder.

It was a quarter to noon when Josh joined up with the others at the rally point, just inside the inner gate. Everyone was in full kit, packs slung over their shoulders. They were ready to go, just waiting on the order to mount up. In contrast to the usual demeanor of the group, everyone was pretty quiet. The solemnity was to be somewhat expected under the circumstances. On top of that, most of them were probably wrestling with anxiety. This was a monumental leap that no one else had been willing to take, so that made them all either ridiculously brave, or ridiculously out of their minds. Josh thought about what Annie had said, about the other people before them who'd wanted to go out and change the world, how so many of them had died. Who among **their** group was bound to suffer the same fate? No matter which way he looked at it, there was going to be a death or two down the line. That notion had come up again and again since this all started. He tried not to think about which one of his friends they would be burying next.

"Are you doing alright Kassy?" Christa materialized in front of him, but it took a second before he registered her presence.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine…sorry, I was zoning out I guess."

"You're not very good at lying you know. You look like you just got punched in the face; what happened with Annie?"

"She broke up with me…"

"What?"

"She said that we had to go our separate ways, end things while we could still look back on all the good memories we had. I'm not sure what's going on with her exactly, but I could tell that she's hurting, bad."

"That's because she cared about you, just like you cared about her. I've never seen two people so crazy for each other as the two of you were. I'm just sorry that you're dealing with this right before we leave."

"You know what she told me? She said this was a journey she couldn't take with me or be waiting at the end of, that I may find things that I don't want to see, I wish I knew what she meant by that."

"She probably has a good reason, even though she didn't tell you. I mean, you had a good one didn't you? That aside, if there's anything you need just let me know okay? We'll all be here for you; I can imagine that this is taking time to sink in." She patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm going to be completely honest, it sucks right now, worse than that beating I took during the battle, but I'm going to get her back someday. Maybe before this is over, maybe after, I don't know but, even if it takes me the rest of my life, it'll be worth it, because I love her more than I could express in mere words. I just have to keep in mind why I'm doing this and the road will lead me back into her arms."

Christa smiled sweetly. "I should have guessed that you weren't planning on giving up. There were plenty of times before when anyone else would've, but you kept going, despite everything. You're stubborn as hell, but you've got heart enough for three guys. I'm proud of you for that."

"That's so sweet, and here I was all this time thinking that he did it because he's a masochist." Aline came ambling by on her crutches.

"Annnnddddd the moment is ruined. Are you happy with yourself?" Josh asked, only half serious.

"You guys love me and you know it. There's so much damn tension these days, we need to keep the mood light whenever we can." She stopped and turned. "In all seriousness though, I'm sorry about what happened. Like Christa said though, we're all here for you."

"I do hope you're not planning on riding horseback in your condition Aline. That's only going to undo what repairs your bones have made in the last week."

"Relax, I couldn't even get on a horse right now, let alone ride one. They'll probably have me ride in the supply wagon. Not really the most comfortable solution but I'm sure it's better than getting saddle sore."

"I'm guessing there'll be plenty of that to look forward to during our stint with the Survey Corps, so you won't be missing out on it for long." The three of them half laughed.

"TROOP, FALL IN!" A tall blonde man yelled from a top the aforementioned cart. "Front and center; it's briefing time!" The group of cadets made a loose formation and stood at parade rest. A woman of small stature with golden brown hair stepped up from behind the wagon. The man moved down in front of her, followed by an older looking woman and a boy who couldn't have been much older than they were. The short woman cast her gaze across the soldiers arrayed in front of her, the expression on her face somewhere between annoyed and pissed off. She groaned audibly before speaking.

"Mother of God, so you half pints are the ones I'm escorting back to HQ? No chance that there's another group of recruits I managed to miss on the way here?" None of them said anything. She sighed loudly. "That's just my luck, having to babysit a bunch of kids. Well I might as well get introductions out of the way now so nobody is asking me questions later. My name is Lieutenant Blasa Tanzerin, and I'm the commander of the Scout Regiment's 29th Section. You will remember my name, and you **will** learn to fear me. If any, and I mean **any** of you make a joke about my height, you'll end up like that crippled girl in the back, except I'll break both of your legs!" The cadets were slightly confused at first, and more than a little taken aback by just how angry this officer was. Collectively they all wondered what they'd done to make her so mad.

"What the heck is her problem?" A cadet in front of Josh muttered under his breath. The lieutenant, as if she had superhuman hearing, turned and pointed directly at him.

"You with the dirty blonde hair, what's your name?"

"Ma'am, Cadet Ctirad Liska, I'm from the village of Rielhofen."

"I didn't ask for your life story boy, and you know what? I dated a guy from Rielhofen once, he was a complete dick, so I've decided that I hate you now. Plus, your name is stupid and hard to pronounce."

"Geez LT, stop being so hard on them. It's not like they did anything to you. Can we at least get through with introductions before you start biting anyone's head off?" The blonde man looked up at her disapprovingly.

"Shut up Terrelle, you're not in command here!" She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. "You have a point though. The sooner we finish this up, the sooner we get out of here, and the sooner I can dump these kids on Ness' doorstep." She turned back to the assembled cadets. "Alright, listen up, because I'm only going to run through this **one** time. Tall boy in the center here is Sergeant Terrelle Gerhard. Now don't let appearances fool you, he's a little smarter than he looks. In the field though, he's pretty awesome to have watching your back, so pay close attention to anything he tells you out there. Now over here on my left, this hot mess with the scar on her face is Sergeant Iryna Shevchenko. At thirty five, she's the oldest and longest serving out of anyone in the section. She's also the strongest and most patient woman I've ever seen; most of us in the unit call her mom."

Iryna smiled warmly. "I look forward to teaching you all what I know. Don't mind our angry malyatko, she's just having a bad day. Once you get to know her, she's rather sweet and adorable. She cares a lot for the troops she commands, even if she may not sound like she does."

"For the love of God, don't talk about me like that in front of them; you're making me look less intimidating! And I told you to stop calling my malyatko. I'm not a 'little girl' I'm twenty six." She tried to hide the fact that she was flushing, but the red in her face was plain as day. She quickly righted herself however, and worked to put the attention on someone else. A rather evil looking grin creased her lips; she stepped over and bent down to rub the head of the third person in her group. "Last but certainly not least, this cute little bastard is Ricky Oschatz, he's not all that much older than some of you, and girls, you're in luck because he's single." Blasa laughed.

"Blasa come on, why do you take it out on me every time Iryna makes you feel embarrassed? That and can't you call me Richter like everyone else? Ricky makes me sound like I'm five or something." He kept his gaze down, thoroughly mortified by his commander's words.

In the formation however, everyone was still somewhat confused. **These** were members of the Scout Regiment? **These** were people who'd survived fighting titans for the last number of years? They seemed like an odd bunch, especially the lieutenant. She looked like she had enough crazy for all of them, or at least anger enough for everybody. Josh thought back to how he felt when he first joined the cadets, how everyone there seemed so strange to him. He laughed to himself at the thought of meeting a whole regiment of people weirder than the cadets of the 104th.

After the introductions, the briefing was pretty short and to the point. They were told that the staging area they were heading to was about a day's ride along their route. The platoon would stop and camp overnight a little past the halfway point in their journey, despite the fact that the lieutenant would happily have ridden all night to push the cadets off on someone else sooner. Her subordinates managed to talk her down from that idea. At that point, gear was stowed, supplies were loaded on the wagon, and all the horses were properly saddled. A trail of dust followed the group as the rode out into the countryside. Moments into the trip Blasa made it **very** clear that any complaints, questions, or concerns were to go through Iryna or Terrelle. Anyone who whined to her was threatened with kissing her boot-heels. Christa was becoming thoroughly worried the longer they were in her company.

"Do not worry malen'kyy, she says a lot of things, but she rarely has to follow up on her threats. Miss Blasa behaves like this because she wants to leave an impression on you. She'll settle down after a couple of months. Just don't take what she says to heart in the meantime." Iryna assured her.

"Is um, everyone in the Scout Regiment so…unusual? Not that there's anything wrong with you I mean."

"Ha, yes you could say that. Matter of fact the regiment is made up of odd people, not unlike your little group."

"But, you haven't talked to most of us yet, how do you know what we're like?"

"Child, I've been in the army since I was just a couple of years older than you. In all that time you learn a thing or two about the different types of people. Just by looking at a person I can get a general idea of who they are. The fact that you're even here with us tells me plenty."

Aline watched the two of them carry on their conversation from the wagon. Richter's driving was admirable considering how bumpy the road was.

"Are you comfortable back there?" He asked her, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Yeah actually I am. You're handling this thing a lot better than I expected."

"I got used to pulling these when I was a kid. My dad usually had me drive into town to sell our vegetables at the market, so it's practically second nature to me now. Apologies for asking but, what happened to your leg if you don't mind saying?"

"A titan grabbed me while we were fighting in Trost; I'm lucky it didn't get snapped clean off honestly."

"That sounds like an 'oh shit' moment if there ever was one. I'm guessing you guys saw a lot of action then?"

"We saw our fair share and then some I'd say, lost quite a few people there."

"So what made you all decide to join up with us after all that? Mortality rate's a lot higher and the pay isn't that much more than in the Garrison."

"I don't know, we were all pretty pissed off that the titans killed our friends and everything, so maybe we're here for payback. Honestly, I think most of us are just tired of living like caged animals; we want to do something about it. You know, kill all the titans, save the human race, for the good of the people, for king and country, and all that patriotic junk."

"Do you really believe that stuff?"

"Hell no. I don't think the king, or the country for the most part, give a damn about what happens to us out there. The average citizen has either written us off as dead or naïve already, and the merchant guilds just see the military as a money pit. But hey, we're fighting for them all anyway, so I guess that makes us the better people in the long run."

"Well, I think you guys might just fit in perfectly; you're all fighters."

"We're all insane too, but that's probably a universal thing for members of the Scouts right?"

"Trust me, you're have no idea what insane is until you meet section commander Hange. That woman would make a serial killer look perfectly healthy."

Most of the afternoon went by quietly, dotted with bouts of small talk, and questions from the cadets. Time flew by, and it was evening before anyone had realized it. They'd halted and began pitching camp in a small grove of trees at the top of a hill which overlooked the valley. From the summit, you could see for miles, all the way to Wall Sina. The sky was a beautiful shade of crimson, and the setting sun cast deep shadows across the landscape and tinted the clouds varying shades of purple. The cadets of Squad seven paused for a moment to survey the scene. Had they been up in the trees, this would have been just like when they'd go to that special spot in the forest during training to watch the day fade behind the mountains. Crickets chirped and evening birds called out as they returned to their nests. It was all so peaceful. Josh smiled when he remembered that it had been an evening just like this when he had kissed Annie for the first time, and she had kissed him back. Someday, he could hopefully have moments like that one again. That's what he felt like he was fighting for. He only wished that Jansen could be here fighting alongside of them.

That night, they sat around the fire, laughed, and told jokes like in the old days. Then morning saw them riding onward about an hour and a half past sunup, arriving at the old Scout Regiment headquarters around midday where, just as she had been eager to from the start, Blasa dumped the cadets with another officer and ran off before anyone could do more than dismount.

Training was in full swing after lunch rolled by. Section Commander Dieter Ness had allocated for them all a large room in which to begin studies. Almost none of the planned lessons however, were combat oriented. The focus instead was placed on intimate coverage and memorization of the long range scouting formation plan created by Commander Erwin. Interestingly enough, instead of engaging the enemy, the strategy largely involved avoiding as many titans as possible, striking only when threats proved too great to ignore. Overall, this had reduced casualties incurred during each expedition significantly. The effectiveness of the plan relied heavily on the use of smoke signaling, as the unit was spread out over wide distances to maximize coverage and extend warning times.

The recently recruited members of the 104th were informed that they would be positioned in the middle flanks on each side of the battalion. Their job would be to run spare horses as well as relay signals from the left and right wing spotters. Red smoke canisters would be used to indicate the position of groups of enemies. Once the command team had a good idea of where the titans were in a given area, they would fire a green canister in the direction the unit was to proceed next. Just as with the red smoke going inward, the green signal would ripple outward, keeping each section and team roughly in formation, relating to one another. That system was going to be drilled deep into their skulls over the next few weeks, down to each possible variable they could come up with.

A couple of days later, they'd finished with lessons and they wandered around the castle grounds, taking in the evening. Interestingly enough, on their walk they ran into a familiar face.

"Well look who it is, Eren freaking Jaeger; the hero of Trost." Erik clapped him on the shoulder.

"Long time no see huh?" Sasha laughed.

"Wow, I can't believe you're all here. How is everyone?"

"Oh you know, doing alright, about as well as you could expect." Aline shrugged.

Eren was glad to see his classmates, the time since they'd last met felt like years ago. After a moment, something dawned on him. "Wait, if you're here, does that mean all of you joined the Scouts?"

"Well yeah, not sure why else we'd be here man." Connie said.

"Of course. So, I take it that Jean, Annie, and Marco joined the Military Police then?"

"Not exactly no…" Jean walked up behind him.

"**You're **here too? You of all people became a Scout?" Eren was in disbelief up to his waist.

"Yeah…and Marco's dead."

"What? You're just kidding around right? He's not dead…is he?"

"Jansen's dead too. Died the day after you sealed up the breach ironically enough." Josh stepped out from behind Jean.

"Oh my God, you're serious. How though, what happened? I figured they would have made it if you guys did."

"Jansen bled to death after a titan bit his legs off; as for Marco, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Nobody saw how he went out. He was alone when it happened." Jean grimaced.

"Marco and Jansen are dead…"

"Them and about seventy three others at final count. Trost whittled us down by quite a bit. We're the only ones who decided to come here instead of joining the Garrison." Alex rubbed the back of his neck. Everyone was silent for a few moments, each remembering the nearly four score members of their class who had fallen. The funeral pyres in the days following had been a sobering sight for them all. Some of them had decided on joining the Survey Corps at that moment, either out of a desire to avenge the fallen, or to try and ensure they themselves didn't suffer the same fate.

"Hey, all of you rookies form up! Your new uniforms just got here." Ness called out to them, breaking the melancholy. He and another Scout, Luke Ciss, each had an armful of forest green cloaks, the backs of which sported the imperial blue and ivory winged crest of the regiment. Each of them took the cape in hand, studying it for a moment, what it meant to hold the item in their hands. One by one, they unfurled them and slung them over their shoulders, fastening the button at the neckline. The garments settled on their shoulders; it felt natural, as though it had always belonged there. A breeze came to them as they stood there, causing the capes to billow like banners, and the former cadets turned their eyes towards the horizon. It was at once the most surreal feeling Josh had ever felt in his life. The light of the sun cast an almost ethereal glow around his comrades, rendering all but the badge on their backs as silhouettes. Another moment where no novel or even master painting could do the image any true justice. He looked along the line, taking in the sight. As he counted every single one of them, he noticed something was off. He counted nineteen individuals in front of him. Eren was behind him, so who was the extra person? He didn't have to wonder for very long. Midway down the line, in the midst of the other members of Squad Seven, Jansen Duerk turned his head to look at him. Josh had never seen his friend smile more broadly, or stand as tall as he was standing then. His lips didn't move, but nonetheless there was the echo of a whisper on the wind.

_"__Thank you for coming with me."_ The phantom gradually faded away to nothing, and the breeze died down. Josh wiped the beginnings of a tear from the corner of his eye and walked over to Ness, who had been watching them all with a proud expression.

"Sir, if I may ask, is there another of these cloaks that I could have?"

"I'll ask around and see if we have a spare, but why do you need it?"

Several days later in Karanese, as Lynette Duerk was returning home from an errand, she spotted a wrapped package laying on her front porch. The paper was stamped with an official seal from the military, marking it as a first class item. She imagined that it might be what remaining personal effects were left of her son's. She'd received the notice of his death from a post rider almost a week ago now. Her cheeks had been stained red with tears almost constantly since then. She braced herself for a breakdown as she unfolded the paper covering whatever lay inside. A folded piece of paper, also bearing a military seal, sat on top of a green garment with wings across it. She opened up the piece of paper and silently read it.

_"__Dear Mrs. Duerk, in accordance with proclamation 476 of the armed forces of his majesty and humankind I present you with this citation for your son, Cadet Jansen Duerk. During the siege of Trost, your son lost his life fighting our enemy on the field of battle. I am told by his comrades that he, until his very last breath, fought valiantly in defense of the city. His actions in the fiery crucible of combat are in standing with the highest traditions of honor, bravery, and sacrifice that our nation holds. It is because of your son, and those like him, that we achieved our first great victory against the titans in many years. In recognition for the selflessness with which he dedicated his life to the preservation of humanity, and at the behest of his comrades in arms: Aline Holde, Joshua Kassmeyer, Albrecht Johannes, Christa Lenz, and Elise Nadzieja, you are granted this cloak. Jansen has been instated as an honorary member of the Scout Regiment, and his name will be added to the honor roll of brothers and sisters that have died protecting our people. This garment, one of the most prominent symbols of our commitment to the solemn duty with which we have been entrusted, will now and forever bear your son's name. He has my utmost respect._

_Sincerely, Commander Erwin Smith_

_Commanding Officer, Survey Corps Operations, July 24__th__, 850_


	17. No Man's Land: The 57th Recon Mission

In a dark and musty chamber, Albrecht Johannes had been talking to himself for the last half hour, casting his anger into the room's shadows. He had been coming here regularly for the last few days to be "alone" with his thoughts.

"I think it's about time you start explaining some things damn it. You've barely said a word to me since I got here, but I hear you whisper when I'm by myself. When I'm lying in the barracks, you stand in the corner and you just stare at me. Whenever you leave, you come back to this room and vanish, why?" Nothing but silence returned to him. Lately, he'd been feeling like his nerves were fraying end to end. The upcoming operation, the apparitions of the dead sergeant, and the compounding lack of sleep had been pushing him to the breaking point. He clenched his fists and shouted into the blackness. "I'm going to keep coming back here until you give me some answers! I know you're in here Sergeant Tanzerin; you can't keep hiding from me forever!"

"I come here because the children like it. This room has no windows, it's cold and dark. The only light in here is what you bring with you. With that in mind, do not presume to demand things from me Albrecht Johannes. I am not beholden to your will." The sergeant's voice sounded in his ears.

"Children, what the hell is that supposed to me? You could at least do me the damn courtesy of showing your face when you talk to me can't you?"

A lantern flicked to life in the center of the room, its' amber glow forming a pool of light. The sergeant walked into the middle of it, her arms folded. She looked Albrecht up and down before commenting in monotone. "Well someone's looking a little less sane than usual aren't they?"

"I'm not in the mood for your mocking."

"Well, you wanted me and here I am. You can stop your shouting and speak to me with some civility or I'm going back; the children will get restless if you keep raising your voice. So ask your questions."

"Who are the Children?"

"You'll find that out for yourself when the time is right, not before."

"What is it that you love about being so freaking cryptic all the time? The head games are getting old."

"Is that **really** what you wanted to talk to me about?" She raised her eyebrow.

"I'd think it's obvious what I **really **want to ask you about. Why didn't you tell me about the Lieutenant?"

"Not sure what it is you're getting at boy."

"You know damn well what I'm getting at. You have the same last name, and I refuse to believe it's a coincidence. Why is it that you failed to mention I'd be running into her?"

"I've told you before that it isn't my job to tell you the future; the who, what, when, where, and so on is yours to discover. You'd have had even more questions if I told you everything. Meeting my charming little sister was a nice surprise though wasn't it?"

"Charming isn't exactly the word I would use. Why is she here anyway, with the Scouts?"

"Ha-ha quite the fun little story that one. Little Blasa joined the Survey Corps the day she turned seventeen, in spite of our dear mother's protests and my own. She wanted to go out beyond the walls, see the outside world and all that, have adventures. Wondrously naïve if you think about it, but that's how you are when you're young, believing that you're invincible, that you can take on the world. She was probably just following my example honestly." Sergeant Tanzerin sighed.

"You were in the Scout Regiment?" Albrecht couldn't keep an edge of surprise from his voice, despite how aggravated he was at the moment.

"Yeah, I spent quite a bit of time with these people, up until about four years ago anyway. Then, one fateful day, the titans break through Wall Maria and start rampaging through the countryside, killing hundreds. Our hometown, Niederwald was hit before anyone got the news to evacuate to the interior. Nobody made it out of there alive, so the report said, including our mom and dad. That got us both more than a little fired up to kick some ass. We ended up taking part in the territory retrieval operation some months later; you know how that turned out obviously. After we came back, I put in for a transfer to the Garrison and wound up in Trost. I felt like I'd done everything I could with the Scouts, time to move on to other things. Not little sis though, she decided to stay here and 'fight the good fight' or however they sell this slaughterhouse these days. I guess she's done pretty well for herself, becoming an officer and a section commander."

"Nice story, but that's only half of my question. Tell me why we were assigned to her section, why **I** was. It feels a lot like a sick joke you decided to play on me. On top of that, she was the officer who deployed us on the mop up, when Jansen got killed. Now we've gotten mixed up in her command, and I want to know why."

"Call it a twist of fate perhaps? Events tend to have ripple effects that we don't anticipate. You toss a small pebble down a hill, which loosens a few smaller pebbles, which moves a few small rocks, and eventually you've got a rock slide. Those are predictable cause and effect scenarios though; life is much crueler when you screw up. You'll often find yourself waist deep in irony the longer you live. So, let's take moment to consider your circumstances. I wonder, how would Blasa feel if she knew that you were there that morning? How would she feel if she knew that you just let me and all of my troopers die? Heck, under your leadership, all of your friends should probably have been killed long before Jansen died. What kind of leader does that make you?" A malicious grin manifested itself for a moment.

"Shut up. I'm getting sick of your constant reminders. Why is it that you continue to torture me like this?"

"Because Albrecht, **you** continue to torture yourself. Every little mistake, every little failure, continues to weigh on you. You consider yourself a weakling and a coward, unfit to have held a position of command. In fact, you're only here now because you crave a sense of redemption, not because of any noble reasons like duty, or fighting for what you love, or a better future. No, this all for your selfish pride, you know it, and I know it. We both know that deep down inside, you're nothing."

He grabbed the Sergeant by the collar, howling with rage. "Shut the hell up! I'm going to be rid of you someday, you hear me you rotten bitch?! One day, you're just going to be a bad memory!"

She was behind him all of a sudden, disappeared out of his grasp in less than the blink of an eye. She grabbed his shoulders and whispered in his ear. "Ah but don't you see kid, I've always been a bad memory. That's all I've ever been! You can't get rid of me because you can't get rid of your guilt, your shame. I'm a part of you now, and I always will be."

Albrecht pulled away from her and spun around, wanting to lash out again. Something seemed off though. His vision started to sway and vibrate. The sergeant looked like she was laughing, but no sound emanated from her mouth. The sound instead was like it was coming from inside of his skull. It felt like someone was scratching their nails around inside his head; it was beginning to hurt. The exit, he had to find the exit before the madness took him further. He tripped over the lantern that Tanzerin had lit in the middle of the room, knocking it over into a corner. There were a cluster of a dozen or so figures standing there. They were all bloody and mutilated, with eyes as black as the night sky. The apparitions grinned at him, horrible impossibly wide smiles. They began inching toward him, slowly, purposefully, their terrible features wreathed in deep shadows.

He fought for a moment to regain his feet, pulling himself up off of the stone floor despite his sight beginning to blur. He stumbled up a flight up five steps and wrestled with the mechanism of the door. It didn't want to budge. He yanked on it, will every ounce of strength he had, fighting to turn the handle. There were whispers growing behind him and he knew that the horrors were near; they called out for him. He fought to pry the door open as icy hands brushed at his back. He shut his eyes as tightly as he could manage and screamed. "GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE; YOU'RE NOT REAL!"

"Albrecht?" A muffled voice from the other side of the door called his name. All of a sudden, it gave way easily, swinging inward widely. Elise stood in front of him, looking concerned. "Are you alright? I thought I heard you screaming. What are you doing in this part of the castle anyway?"

"Oh, um nothing, just working on some training exercises. It gets a little bit intense is all; I tend to yell a lot when I get into my regimen. I came here because I didn't want to disturb anyone."

"Well that would explain why you look so worn out, but why were you working out in the dark, and who were you talking to?" She looked into the room, behind him, puzzled.

"Nobody, just talking to myself, trying to keep motivated you know?"

"Well, okay then…anyway I'm here to get you; all of the recruits are meeting up in the supply room. I guess we're going to have a talk with Eren. Aline and Josh asked me to come find you."

"Oh…alright sure, let's get moving then; I'd hate to keep everyone waiting." He stood up, brushing himself off. He pulled the door shut and the two of them started walking. He glanced back over his shoulder.

"Are you sure you're doing alright Alb? You look awful."

"Yeah—I'm perfectly fine. Let's just hurry up and get to the others." He quickened his pace and Elise trotted along after him. They disappeared down the corridor. At the end of the hallway, the door to the chamber creaked open ever so slightly.

_"__You'll come back again Albrecht Johannes, and when you do, the children and I will still be waiting."_

They sat haphazardly around the room. Arrayed in what amounted to a loose S shape. Swathed in the green cloaks of their new office, the former members of the 104th Cadet Corps waited for things to get underway. There were twenty of them all told, after Albrecht and Elise had shown up. Eren was standing at the forefront, facing the rest of the group. All eyes were expectantly on him.

"So, they decided that all of you are…"

"Yes, we're accompanying the battalion on the upcoming mission beyond the walls." Mikasa cut him off.

"Hey, since we're going out there, no small part because of this weird power of yours, there are a couple of things that I want to get straight." Jean looked around at everyone else. "We all heard the rumors, but we need to hear it from you. When you were in your titan form, we're told that you intentionally tried to crush Mikasa; would you mind telling us what that was about?"

"You're wrong, he thought he was swatting at a fly, nothing more." The girl quickly came to Eren's defense.

"Mikasa, I wasn't asking **you**. Oh, and while we're on the subject, that scar on your cheek is healing up pretty well, but would you mind telling us exactly how you got it again?" She scowled at him and covered the cut with a few strands of her hair.

Eren looked down, disheartened. "People keep talking about it, and they brought it up at the trial as well. I guess…that means it really happened; I tried to kill her."

"Wait, you guess? You're telling me you have no memory of that?" Jean cocked his eyebrow.

"No, I don't. I can't remember any of it."

Alex stood up in the back. "No offense Eren, but that's a pretty big thing to black out on." A few of the assembled cadets nodded in agreement.

"I don't remember much of anything that I did while transformed. Everything feels a little hazy."

"So let me get this straight, you can turn into a fourteen meter killing machine whenever you want, but when you're in titan mode you don't really have control over yourself?"

"No…not yet anyway, but that's about the size of it." A number of worried glances were exchanged.

Jean sighed heavily, turning towards his comrades. "Did you hear that everyone? What a fine situation we've gotten ourselves into now. Our lives and the fate of the entire human race rest on **his **shoulders. My bet is that we'll all end up like Marco and Jansen, dead long before Eren even realizes what's happened."

"Well, that goes a long way towards ruining my good mood." Aline groaned.

"Yeah, not to be negative, but they've got a point there." Erik took a few steps forward.

"All of you stop it. What's the point in chastising him now for the things that happened? Give it a rest already." Mikasa looked annoyed with the responses they were all giving.

"Listen Mikasa, unlike you, most of the rest of us aren't willing to just toss our lives away for him on a whim." Jean was facing her again, sidelong.

"Yeah, if we're fighting for this, for you, we're going to need a good reason, what are we laying down our lives for here?" One of the other cadets, Corvin Etter, spoke up.

"We're putting everything on the line, all of us. The risks we're taking in doing this are higher than anything we've come up against. We came all this way in the hopes that this is going to matter when the dust settles, now we need you to convince us that we weren't wrong to do so." Josh looked Eren dead in the face.

"What are you all saying?"

"We're saying that we're not sure we believe how committed you are to seeing this through. You might end up hesitating when the time comes, but we don't know. So here's what we need. Each of us needs you to be able to look us in the eye and give us a guarantee. Show us what you're worth. Prove it to us. We're asking you to make us believe that you're worth dying for." Jean shifted his eyes onto Eren. The assembled recruits all moved in to form a semi-circle behind him.

"Guys, I…"

"Damn it Eren! Is that something you can do for us or not?!" Jean grabbed his shoulders and got eye level with him. Eren's eyes had grown to about the size of apples and he looked ready to break out in a sweat. Jean looked about as intense as they'd ever seen. "If you can do this, then we're with you, all the way."

"To hell and back if that's what it takes." Reiner pounded his fist into his chest.

"Right, I…yes, I swear. I'm going to give this everything I've got, right down to my last breath if I have to."

"Then we've got your back, all of us." Sasha smiled.

"Well, at least now if we die we can all feel good about ourselves for trusting each other and junk." Ymir said sarcastically. Some half hearted laughter followed before everyone slid into a momentary silence.

"It's going to be a hell of a day isn't it?" Connie was looking down at the floor.

"Yeah, first time outside of civilization, and into the wild unknown." Aline shrugged.

"Then let's just focus on doing our jobs and making it back here in one piece." Christa said firmly. "If we survived Trost, I'm sure we can do this."

"I suppose now would be a good time to suggest that we try and get some sleep. It's getting late, and the officers said that we'll be riding for Karanese first thing in the morning."

The young soldiers began returning to their barracks room shortly thereafter, eager to rest while they could. Only the five members of squad seven remained in the supply chamber.

"We'll be passing through home tomorrow. Kind of strange to think about how much has changed since we last saw it huh?" Josh was the first person to say something.

Albrecht spoke in a low voice. "Everything has changed."

"What did you guys tell your parents? In regards to joining the Scouts I mean." Christa asked.

"My parents don't know. They think I'm off serving in the Garrison somewhere." Aline gave a nervous laugh.

"I didn't tell my mom and dad one way or another. I just told them that things were going well and not to worry about me. They probably think I'm doing the same thing that Aline is."

"Maybe it would've been wise to tell them Kassy."

"It wouldn't do anything except worry them both to death. It wouldn't do any of us much good to have them fretting over us every minute we're out there."

"Yeah, out there in the enemy's territory, lands no longer ruled by man, the ruins of our struggling civilization. It's a grave yard where the bones of two hundred and fifty thousand plus people were left to turn to dust. There was nothing to show for it afterwards." Albrecht said darkly, his voice betraying little emotion.

"I know we're all thinking it, so I'm just going to come out and ask. Are we actually going to be ready for this?" Aline raised her eyebrows.

"What difference does it make now? Ready or not, this is happening and each of us has a job to do." Albrecht hadn't wanted to sound as hopeless as he felt. To say he'd been unsettled by his conversation with Sergeant Tanzerin would be an understatement.

"You know we're all going to be separated once we're out there right? Signal relay means that we operate solo so we can increase the range of the early warning system. Some of us will be on the left flank, some of us on the right. We won't be able to rely on our teamwork plans this time around." Josh ran his fingers back and forth through his hair.

"So what are we going to do if we run into a titan out there, one that we have to fight?" Elise anxiously wrung her hands. "We haven't had much practice with mounted combat yet, and the terrain is pretty open out there in the countryside."

"Then we either do what we can or hope that there's a veteran or two close at hand when we need them. Above that, we need to make sure that we have an idea of where at least one other person in the squad is at all times. If we can manage that, we should be able to coordinate." Christa smacked her fist against her palm resolutely. It was a solid fallback strategy, and it was likely it would be needed. Military operations rarely, if ever, went off without a hitch. If things went pear-shaped, they at least knew they could count on each other. In the end, that's all you ever really had to fall back on, your comrades. When the hammer comes down, who's standing at your shoulder is the difference in living or dying a lot of the time.

The five of them came together, placing their arms around one another's shoulders. Despite Albrecht's own inner turmoil, and Elise still being unsure if she deserved to stand in Jansen's place, the former cadets of squad seven shared in an affirmation. They bowed their heads and shut their eyes. "We are brothers and sisters, bound by fire, and baptized in the crucible of hell. Always and forever, we are a family." They held onto one another tightly, taking in that moment and embracing the commitment. Aline lifted her head as a thought occurred to her.

"You know something? When Jansen died, Alb said that we couldn't be the _Blades of Karanese_ without him. He laughed and said that we should change the name if it didn't fit anymore. We haven't decided on anything yet…"

"No we haven't, and since we've been brought into the regiment, Squad Seven doesn't exist on paper anymore. We're in what unit now, section twenty nine?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, section twenty nine, third company, of the Expeditionary Battalion. So who are we going to be now?"

"I think there was a passage in a book that they had us read in training. Jansen would every now and again bring it down out of the library. What was the name of it again?"

"It was _The Soldiers Sacrifice: The Noble Mission of Humanity's Vanguard._ He Read the title out loud about a hundred times and the introduction for the Scouts probably thirty times that." Christa smiled at the memory. "I think it went something along the lines of…"

Albrecht started off the passage. "The city was in chaos. Fire spilled forth from every structure. Bodies lined the streets and families huddled under their roofs as the grinning horrors advanced, devouring all they could see. I watched as all before me was laid to waste. I ran from that place, seeking, like so many others, the safety of the inner gate. I came face to face with one of the demons during my flight. It grasped me firmly by my waist and lifted me towards its' cavernous maw, which opened wider than humanly possible…"

"I felt it in my bones that I was to meet my end at the hands of this monster. I knew it more certainly than anything I had ever felt in my life. Just as it was near to pulling me in, a glint of steel in the amber sky caught my attention. In a flash, there was a sound of metal rending flesh, and the creature before me fell dead. It was then that I first saw them…" Josh trailed off, looking over at Aline.

"Dozens of men and women, hands filled with hard iron, began descending from the skies. Faster than the lightning that precedes the thunder, they flew through the air on blue and white wings, taking the foe head on. They fought mercilessly, leaving no enemy alive, no blade unsullied…" She nodded to Christa.

"When the dust had settled, they stood atop a mountain of fallen titans, a pillar of smoke rising high. They seemed to me as tall as the very giants they slew. We were in awe of them. I knew at once that these were no ordinary soldiers. No, these were men and women of a different caliber altogether. These were the members who formed the tip of his majesty's mighty spear. The members of the Scout Regiment, our deliverers, and in the eyes of any who've witnessed them, they are humanity's…"

"Angels of Freedom…" Elise said quietly, finishing the passage.

Josh smiled broadly. "I'm not the only one thinking it right?"

"No you're not. I think we just found our new moniker." Aline was nodding.

Christa clapped her hands together and said the name out loud. "The Angels of Freedom; that has a really nice ring to it."

The chiming of the bell towers echoed throughout the streets of Karanese. The sun was high in the heavens when the time came for things to get under way. Along the city's main road, the full force of the Scout Regiment was arrayed in a long column in front of the outer gate. Horses beat their hooves against the cobblestone restlessly and the soldiers kept their eyes fixed straight ahead, the walls loomed above them. Here they were, on the threshold, on the enemy's doorstep. For the veterans, this was nothing new. They'd taken these journeys numerous times in the last few years and before. The recruits, these "rookie soldiers" faced more uncertainty. For some of them, it would be the first time setting foot outside Wall Rose in five years. For others, it would be the first time outside of the interior in their lives. Regardless of their experience however, every scout was mentally preparing themselves for the mission in their own way.

In the midst of the formation, Sergeant Iryna Shevchenko was bowing her head and speaking quietly. _"Hospody , yak my hotuyemosya do pidpryyemstva znovu v nevidomistʹ, ya blahayu tebe , shchob stezhyty za ditʹmy. Bezpechnyy okhoronyaty yikh , yak vy mene nastorozhylo. Tak, khocha ya ydu cherez dolynu smertnoyi tini, ne budu boyatysya zloho , bo Ty zi mnoyu. Tviy zhezl i Tviy posokh zaspokoyuyutʹ mene ." _

Next to her sat former cadet Freja Skovgaard and Sergeant Terrelle Gerhard. The young girl was puzzled by what the veteran sergeant was whispering. "That language sounds really strange; I've never heard anything like that before, what is she saying?"

Terrelle leaned in. "It's an old language, from before the titans came. I believe it's what they used to speak in her ancestral homeland. As for what she's saying, I have no idea. Iryna has never told any of us what it means, but she says it every time we're about to go outside the walls."

Blasa Tanzerin looked up at the sky. A flock of birds was flying this way and that along the top of the wall, almost like they were waiting for the formation to start riding before they ventured in the lands beyond. She grimaced and punched her palm before turning half-way in her saddle to address the troops behind her. "Listen up you rotten little bastards! You're not at the academy anymore, nobody here is going to wipe your ass for you! Remember what you've been taught and keep a level head, this whole formation depends on everyone doing their jobs! Pay attention to me, Ness, Nanaba, Terrelle, and Iryna, you might just learn a thing or two! If you're lucky, you'll even come back in one piece!"

"That has got to be the angriest girl I've ever seen." Alex looked on in disbelief.

"Weirdly enough, I feel like this might be her good side." Erik smirked.

Josh Kassmeyer was holding the reins of his horse, whom he had taken to calling Ritter, loosely in his hand as he stroked the creature's muzzle. He seemed as anxious about the ride as Josh did. The shared nervousness actually seemed to calm them both a little. "Easy buddy, we're both a little nervous, but we got this. I won't push you any harder than I have to, I promise." Ritter let out a snort and neighed.

"I think the two of you are going to bond a lot today. This might be a first time beyond the walls for him too." Christa smiled, petting the mane of her own horse.

"I'd hope so, we're going to have to trust each other with our lives for the foreseeable future I'd imagine."

"Everyone listen up! The titans in the vicinity have been lured away, the gate opens in thirty seconds!" the troops all snapped their eyes forward to focus on the shouting officer. "The day has come for humanity to take another step towards victory! It's time for us to show the titans exactly what we're capable of!" The assembled soldiers lifted their fists and swords into the air and shouted their ascent.

"Gate's coming up, stand by!"

Aline took a few deep breaths and pulled the reins tightly in her hands. She could feel her heart pounding, her adrenaline coursing through every single vein in her body. Her pulse quickened the higher the chains lifted the stone barrier.

"You feeling okay, or are you just a little anxious?" Richter Oschatz asked her.

"I'm good. Feeling about forty different emotions right now, but I'm good." She nodded vigorously and tried to steady her breathing.

Albrecht Johannes was completely calm and collected. He was looking somewhat sickly, there was stress and lack of sleep to blame for that, but he was confident, focused, and grim. In stark contrast to the day's heat, he felt cold, empty, like he was dead. The only thing moving his body was a sense of purpose. Sergeant Tanzerin was wrong about him, and he was going to prove it.

There was a sound of locking mechanisms and the grinding of stone on stone as the portal out of Karanese finished rising, small clods of dirt still falling from the ground stakes. Daylight and the afternoon breeze poured in through the opening. There was a collective inhalation as silence took the ranks for a moment. Then from the front of the column, came the thunderous cry to advance. Erwin smith, atop his snow white steed, reared up at the head of the formation. "SCOUTS, MOVE OUT!" The command was followed by the sound of thunder as hundreds of horses took off at a full gallop through the gateway. Cloaks billowed in the wind like so many battle standards as the men and women of the 57th Scouting Expedition funneled through the opening and out into the city ruins beyond.

Josh squinted when the sunlight hit his eyes as her emerged into the open. He balked slightly at what he saw once his eyes adjusted to the glare. His first glimpse of the world abandoned by mankind. They had entered into what could accurately be described as a necropolis. A city of the dead. The settlement just outside the walls of Karanese district, which he imagined to have been a prosperous town only half a decade prior, was nothing but a collection of overgrown decrepit structures now. The roofs were caved in, the masonry was cracking, and windows shattered. Despite having been just beyond the gates of the city, the town was still technically outside of the Wall Rose governing zone. He wondered if all of the people who once lived here had settled just inside the wall, or if they'd all been killed during the first operation to reclaim Wall Maria. So many lives, with nothing left of them but the shadows of a better time, a less terrifying time. His introspection was brought to an end however by the sight of several scouts whipping through the air above him. These must have been the members of the support squads. The detachment of the regiment selected to remain on station here and cover the expedition forces on their way into open country. They were maneuvering to engage a gluttonous looking ten meter titan that was approaching from the left flank. As they dodged around the creature, trying to strike a killing blow, it swatted at them. It raked its' hands across the rooftops and shingles, groping for any piece of the soldiers it could find purchase on. The movements sent up clouds of dust and caused brick and tiles to rain down on the mounted troops. Many of the recruits stared at the spectacle, more than a little disturbed.

"Keep your eyes forward! Your job is to keep moving, let the support teams handle the titans for now!" One of the officers shouted. Those who had been distracted, shook themselves and dug their boot-heels into the flanks of their mounts, spurring them to go faster.

Commander Erwin was shouting as well, his commanding tone echoing off of the buildings. "FORWARD SOLDIERS! WE'RE ALMOST CLEAR OF THE CITY RUINS, RIDE FOR ALL YOU'RE WORTH!"

"Come on Seris, go, go, we're almost out." Aline got low against the body of her horse, flicking the reins twice to keep her sprinting a little longer.

A cloud of dust billowing up behind them, the scouts of the 57th Expedition flew past the crumbling domiciles and destroyed storefronts of outer Karanese, riding hard, their horses grunting with the effort until they broke the town's boundary line. The order to fan out and deploy the long range scouting formation followed almost instantly. Blasa and the other officers turned to relay the command to the troops behind them. "You heard Erwin, the column is splitting, get to your positions! Kassmeyer, Lenz, Johannes, Delacroix, Etter, right flank! Holde, Nadzieja, Zielinski, Grunewald, Skovgaard, Liska, you're going left! Keep your signal flares ready at all times, we'll be around if you need us!" Ness and Nanaba reminded the rest of the recruits of the flank where they would be positioned, and then they started to break.

"Hey guys! Do me a favor and don't get stepped on while you're out there!" Alex laughed as he rode past.

"Do **us** a favor and don't shit your pants!" Josh called after him.

"Ha, don't worry, I made sure he did that before we left!" Erik said as he peeled away.

"Not to be a downer guys, but is this really the time to be telling jokes?" Sasha asked.

"Might as well get them in now while we still have the chance to. I doubt we'll have much time for laughing here pretty soon." Aline slapped her on the back and took off, Elise close behind her. Josh, Christa, and Albrecht started separating as well, moving off into the open fields to the southwest. They nodded to each other as they went towards their respective positions.

"Remember, if something goes wrong, use the emergency flare and we'll meet up as soon as possible! Good luck out there!" Christa veered off to the right.

"Alright then, guess we're flying solo from here on I'll see you later Alb."

"Godspeed Josh, Godspeed to us all. Mercy on our souls if we don't have the speed." Albrecht turned away towards his spotting position, a dark shadow hanging in his eyes.

Now, Josh was alone, the figures of his friends having faded away into the distance. He glanced behind him and saw the towering figure of Wall Rose shrinking. This was it, he was, they were, out in the dark zone. He galloped along, easing Ritter's pace as much as he felt he could. He wasn't sure how long you could push a military steed, but he wasn't keen on finding out. Without Ritter, he would be stranded and even more alone. Besides, on foot there was no way he would survive out here. Even with the emergency signal, he was isolated, and if he actually needed to use that flare, he'd end up dead long before anyone got to him. It'd be a quick end to his time with the Survey Corps, and an end to the plans he had for when this was all over.

He'd been riding on his own for several minutes now, and everything had remained relatively quiet. He'd seen nothing, and he'd heard nothing, that scared him. Was everything going smoothly? Were the titans getting through holes in the defensive line? Was he keeping his heading? The questions were piling up the more he thought about it. He stopped thinking for a second and slapped himself. _"Idiot, don't start going all over the place. You can't afford to get distracted, or mess up, there's no one here to cover your ass if something happens. You need to stay focused!"_ This was exactly what Commandant Shadis had always been on him about in training. His mind would go off on wild tangents and he would lose sight of matters at hand. At a time when he really needed to be locking it down hard, that focus was going to mean life or death if he couldn't keep it. He took a deep breath and sat upright in his saddle, keeping his eyes peeled on the path ahead of him. Josh's concentration shifted however when he heard the sound of a weapon discharging over on his right. Several hundred meters away, a plume of red smoke was rising from a stand of trees. Two more such trails rose into the sky a bit further up the line. The right wing spotters had made titan contact.

He found it strange that the sight brought him an overwhelming sense of relief as he loaded up his pistol, firing the canister forward into the cerulean sky. Across the line, he could see others doing the same, sending the message inward. So far, so good. As long as the spotters kept their eyes open, they'd all make it to the objective alive.

"It's looking like they're running into a lot of titans already over on the right wing." Elise said, thinking out loud.

"Yeah, looks like we drew the long straw today." Aline looked out across the fields to where the crimson was rising. "Those signals are pretty spread out though, so they've probably got a few holes in their line. I doubt we're much better off honestly." The formation was all over the place. Aside from a few pockets at the front, and center, most of the unit was traveling in ones and twos. The two girls had been put into a team so that they could run spare horses when needed. Once the swords came out, that was bound to be a necessity. Aline was just hoping that the commander's prediction of an almost one in three casualty rate was a bit of an overstatement.

"Hey, look, the command team just shot off the green smoke; it looks like we're turning northeast for a while. I'll relay the message this time around, we'll switch off so we can conserve ammo." Elise loaded a canister onto her pistol and fired.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea to me. I'm amazed at how simple this system is, at how well it looks like it's working."

"Didn't Section Commander Ness say something important about that though? That this plan mostly relied on the idea that we'd mostly be running into regular titans?"

"He definitely made a point of telling us that over and over during briefings. That and all the freaking different ammo colors. We use red smoke to identify normals and for abnormal titans we use…"

"Black smoke…"

"Exactly, then we use green for the reroutes, purple for emergen…"

"No, Aline, I see black smoke. Over on the center right. That should be exactly where the others are right now. What do we do?"

"It's not our sector, we can't do anything. All we can do is hope that Christa, Josh, and Alb aren't the ones shooting those ones off."

_"__That's the first one I've seen so far. Black smoke means that someone's run into an abnormal doesn't it? Damn, I hope that doesn't go in Christa's direction, or Alb's for that matter. No, I'm worrying about nothing; the veterans will handle it long before the bastard makes it that deep into our lines, right?" _Josh was looking over to the side and loading his pistol. He fitted the cylinder in place and pulled the hammer back. His finger was in the trigger guard when Ritter whined and skidded to a halt. Josh almost fell off his horse. "Geez buddy, what the hell was that for? You could've hurt…oh, I see." While he'd been distracted, he'd ridden onto an abandoned farmstead, and almost into a tall fence. It was comical, of all things to run into on his first mission, he nearly smacks into a fence. Only he could find himself in a situation so ridiculous. He laughed, not entirely to himself, and pulled Ritter to go around the penned in area. The horse didn't move.

He rolled his eyes and gave the horse a couple of nudges with his boots. Ritter just snorted and shook his head. "Is there a reason you don't want to go around the fence?" Josh tried spurring him again. "Buddy, come on we're starting to lag behind." The horse shook its' head more vehemently and stamped its' foot against the ground. "What the hell is the matter with you right now?" He flicked the reins and gave another spirited jab into Ritter's flank. This time it didn't go over very well. In response, he let out a high pitched whine and bucked, throwing Josh into the dirt. He landed hard on his back, letting out a rather colorful swear on impact. He'd gone from being mildly annoyed to more than mildly pissed off. Josh begrudgingly got to his feet and grabbed his mount by the muzzle, staring directly into its' eyes. "Listen to me horse, I'm going to get back on you and the **both** of us are going to get going when I say this time. We need to catch us to the rest of the unit."

The words had barely gotten out of his mouth when he felt a small tremor under his feet. In a tree next to the house, a small flock of crows let out their screeching sound and flew off. A few seconds later, another tremor came, it resonated more than the first one. Ritter neighed loudly and reared up on his hind legs. Josh barely managed to get a grip on the harness when he lowered his front hooves. The horse kept making high pitched noises. It suddenly dawned on him, and he cursed his stupidity for not seeing it sooner. Ritter acting panicky, tremors, birds flying away; a titan was coming, and it was a big one. Or more accurately, it was already there. A rather robust looking ten meter variant came bounding out of the trees in front of him, its' jaw already distended, as though he was already in its' grasp.

His body seemed that it was being impossibly slow to respond in those several seconds it took him to climb onto Ritter's back. He moved at a fraction of the speed of the ravenous creature charging him. It was already crushing the fence on the other side of the farm yard by the time he'd managed to wheel his mount around to go in the opposite direction. There was no need to spur Ritter onwards this time; he was mostly galloping of his own volition. The titan may have only been interested in eating Josh, but if it caught up with them, they would both share in a brutal death. So they rode hard, the demon only a score meters behind them. They were outrunning it true, but that was creating another problem all together. The regiment was heading eastwards, and they were going back in the direction of Karanese. With him lagging behind already, further delays would leave him without any sense of where the formation was headed. By the time he would finally be able to catch sight of a signal flare, everyone else would be long gone anyway. The real question was, how was he going to turn around with this thing literally nipping at Ritter's tail? If he swung left in a gradual enough arc, it should keep the titan from having a chance to cut him off.

He chanced a look over his shoulder; their pursuer was starting to gain ground. He either did this now or not at all. Josh took a deep breath. "I know this is going to sound a little crazy to you, but I'm going to need you to start turning around." As though he understood, Ritter turned his head for a moment and snorted. "I know I should've trusted you back there a few minutes ago, and I'll pay more attention next time, but right now, I need you to trust me. Do you think you can do that buddy?" The horse made another snorting noise, which Josh couldn't tell whether it meant yes or no. He decided to err on the positive side of things and hope he wasn't wrong.

He gave a pull on the reins, and Ritter started drifting southward. "Good boy." He said, patting the horse on his head. "Now let's see if we can't get away from this ugly son of a bitch huh?" The landscape in front of him began shifting, the wall in the distance disappearing from his field of view again. He guided Ritter as expertly as he could, sweeping widely around trees and rocks, trying to put obstacles between them and the titan. They were having no such luck. It hungered for human flesh, and it would have its' hunger sated, and the two of them would tire long before the monster. Josh tried to think about other options. He could try dismounting and taking it head on, but the element of surprise was already lost, and there was nothing for him to maneuver off of, aside from the farm house, and that was still quite a ways off. Engaging with his blades would be pointless without his ODM gear, and he didn't have a ranged weapon of any kind…with him… He opened up his saddle bag. Inside lay his flare pistol, still loaded and locked. He picked it up and looked it over. He thought about how high the rounds they fired shot up into the air. To be seen from long distances, it had to go at least a few hundred feet up. The propellant was powerful enough to turn them into miniature rockets, launching them out of the barrel at several hundred feet per second. He turned again over his shoulder, aiming at the titan. The pistol didn't have any sights to speak of, so he'd have to just point and hope it went where he wanted it to. It wouldn't be much more than a momentary distraction if he used it now though; the projectile wasn't powerful enough to do any more than cause a bit of damage to whatever he hit.

As he and Ritter continued on their curve, he looked up again at the farm house. The idea forming in his head was a long shot. Luck alone would be the determining factor in whether it succeeded or not. Still, at present it was better than anything else he could come up with. It was probably at least worth a shot. He was going to end up flattened or lunch if he kept running. He grabbed a tight hold on the reins and yanked them hard to the left, causing his mount to shift in the direction of the homestead. Their enemy adjusted its' course quickly to match them. "I'm going to need you to trust me again on this one alright? Balk now and we both die, so don't panic." He smacked his boots into Ritter's ribs; he whined but quickened his pace nonetheless, increasing to an all out sprint. The world was flying past his eyes, the only thing remaining in focus were the growing walls of the house in front of him. He hazarded a guess of how far it was, two hundred, three hundred meters? It wasn't a lot of time, but that was a big part of the idea.

Josh made sure the hammer was fully cocked on the flare pistol and turned in his saddle again to take aim. Their quarry was nearly on them now, thirty feet behind, maybe less. He took in a breath and held it, time slowing down to a fraction of normal speed as he waited. One second…two seconds…three seconds. He let the breath out gently and pulled the trigger. The smoke round came flying out like an angry hornet, impacting the titan's face right next to the eye. The burning chemicals in the round began corroding the organ away, melting it right out of the skull. The creature howled in rage, temporarily half blind. Temporary was all he needed though. He jerked Ritter's bridle hard to the right, turning them away an instant before the collided with the farm house. The titan slammed into the wall only a second later, its' head shattering the wall it met with and careening through the empty rooms, destroying the supports. Unable to stay in place without assistance from below, the roof caved in, crushing all beneath it.

Josh was dumbstruck for a moment. He actually had to do a double take because he wasn't quite sure he was seeing things correctly. His plan had…worked, and he was completely fine? Out of pure shock and amazement, he soon found himself laughing like a madman.

"HA-HA, WOOOOOOO! THAT—WAS—BAD—ASS! DON'T SCREW WITH THE SURVEY CORPS! HA-HA-HA-HA! Oh my lord, I have to tell the guys about this one!" He felt like he was high, as though he'd breathed in too many fumes of some potent narcotic. The adrenaline pumping in his veins was at a peak level.

He brought Ritter back around and started heading east again, following the route he'd originally taken. He looked around for any more smoke trails as he started up a grassy knoll. It seemed as though the unit was still on the path they'd set before, meaning he wasn't likely too far behind everyone else. They wouldn't have to push too hard to make up for lost time.

Josh crested a rise as he came to the top of the knoll, the ground pouring out in front of him across the countryside to where the far off mountains met the sky. In the fields below him however, he saw something that gave him pause. Maybe seven hundred meters in front of him, he saw the shape of a horse and rider rising up into the sky. Looking up from underneath them was a titan. Had it just launched them up into the air like that? It was easily a fifteen meter variant, towering over everything around it, that was the only possibility. It wasn't like any of the others that he'd seen though. This one had nearly shoulder length blonde hair, and…no skin, just like when he'd seen the Colossal at the beginning of the battle for Trost. This one was definitely an abnormal, and it looked way more dangerous than most. He pulled a fresh black canister from his ammo bag and loaded it onto the pistol, raising them into the sky. He hesitated before pulling the trigger. There was something else about this one, something he hadn't seen before. Something about the shape of its' body was all wrong. It was slender, and curved at the hips. It also looked like it had, breasts? Josh made the connection, though he still couldn't believe what he was seeing, even more so than a few moments prior at the farm house.

_"__What the hell is going on here? That titan…it looks like a woman."_


	18. Sunday Bloody Sunday

It was like a charnel house. The summer grasses were stained a deep crimson, and the air smelled of death. Streaks of yellow smoke were flying up into the sky, fired by the few desperate souls managing to hold the line. Only a handful of soldiers remained alive on the forward edge of the formation. Those left standing fought a losing battle as they were forced to engage the titans on flat, open ground. They'd come out of nowhere, a massive horde following in the wake of a skinless, female abnormal. She'd brought with her an army. The right wing spotters had been all but wiped out in a matter of seconds. The battalion had to be told what was coming, and smoke signals weren't going to cut it this time.

_"__A significant enemy force is pushing across our flank. A titan bearing no known classification has breached our perimeter. The early warning system has been compromised. Casualties on the forward right are near total; survivors engaged in a holding action are about to be overrun. Formation has to be rerouted, or we face potential annihilation." _This was the verbal message that a bloody and terrified rider had given recruit Gisele Delacroix to relay down the line. She repeated the words over and over again in her head, trying to hold down a rising sense of panic. The veterans on the vanguard were being massacred and titans were boring into the column. She had to get the message to the command team, but how? The battalion was spread all over the place and she had no idea who, or where her nearest comrade was. What if she couldn't find anyone? What if nobody else was trying to spread the warning? What if something happened to her en route? Were they all screwed; were they all going to die?! She anxiously ground her teeth into her bottom lip and tried to avoid hyperventilating. If she died beyond the walls, nobody would ever find her body. She'd be abandoned and forgotten, left to fester in the summer sun until carrion birds feasted on her bones.

Gisele gritted her teeth and covered her ears, trying to shut down her thoughts. She could feel every inch of her body shaking as though it was the dead of winter. Her pulse pounded like thunder, making her head ache. She worked as hard as she could to focus on controlling her breathing. _"Get a grip on yourself right now! This is the worst possible time to start freaking out. Just…don't think about the what ifs. You trained for this." _She tried to get the mental image of the formation chart to come to the fore of her mind. Her original position in the plan was near the front of the right flank's relay squad, near section 2-4. That meant that the nearest soldier to her left would be…Albrecht? Where was he though, in front of her, or behind? The low lying hills and passing thickets made it difficult to get a clear look in that direction. If she cut through one of them, perhaps she could find a decent vantage point? However she did it though, she had to find him quick. Coming up at her ten o'clock, a thick looking cluster of spruce trees ascended to the top of a large mound. She tugged on the reins and rode for the tree line, passing into the grove at a gallop.

She could feel the earth rising up beneath the hooves of her mount as they splashed through the puddles of sunlight, created by the gaps in the canopy above. It was much more closed in, riding the narrow pathway between the trunks, air whooshing in her ears as each of them flew past. The gaps were starting to widen before long, the edge of the small forest visible a couple hundred yards in front of her. Time was of the essence, so she rode harder; every single second was going to matter here. Gisele ducked low hanging branches and her horse skirted protruding roots, panting heavily. She broke out under the open sky, pulling her horse to a skidding halt. She frantically shifted her gaze back and forth across the fields below her. _"Nothing, nothing, nothing; where is everybody?! Did they shift directions? I wasn't in the forest that long was I?"_ There had to be someone she could see from here. She squinted as hard as she could and raised her arm to shield her eyes from the sun's glare. She slowly tracked left to right across the prairie, searching for any small sign of movement.

In the distance, she caught a glimpse of dust trails rising; the center column supply wagons, it had to be. She let out a long sigh of relief, noting that their heading hadn't changed. She grabbed a hold of her reins again and turned to ride on, but she paused. A massive shadow began to stretch over her, accompanied by everything in the vicinity shaking. The shadow's owner hung low over her, like it was crouching down. The silhouette of a hand was reaching down towards her. She had to tell herself not to look up before spurring her horse. Heavy footfalls became audible only a few seconds later, and the looming shadow once more visible. She jabbed her mount harder in the ribs to pick up speed, but the creature behind her matched the pace easily.

Swallowing hard, she drew forth her blades. If she was going to do this, she'd have to find a tall tree or a building or anything to anchor herself for an attack. Everything was flying past her so quickly though. There was barely enough time to get a good look at a target, let alone latch onto one and dismount. This had been much less arduous in Trost, buildings as far as she could see, and the comparative ease of maneuvering on foot. Next to that, the current situation seemed next to impossible. Still, a slim chance at success was a lot better than none at all; she'd just have to time her dismount and pray. A hefty pine tree was coming up on the right. Tall and wide, it was her best bet. Gisele took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers around the triggers in her hilts. She pulled her feet back from the stirrups and jumped up onto the saddle. A quick twist of her upper body and she fired her grappling hooks. The cables stretched out, cracking like whips. Thirty feet distant, they sought purchase in the wood. As hoped, they lodged into place. The winch on her back went into motion as she set about reeling herself in. Her mount disappeared from under her and she flew forwards.

No sooner than she was clear however, a massive hand swung down like a pendulum. Missing its' intended target, the titan pivoted on heel, knocking Gisele's horse to the side. It cried out, causing her to look over her shoulder. The creature slid to a resting place several dozen yards away, where it lay still. A pang of sadness filled her heart as she was unable to discern if it was alive or if the blow had killed it. Besides, there were other, more demanding issues that had to be dealt with before she could even think about riding out of here.

The cables of Gisele's ODM rig hauled her up the side of the towering pine tree, flinging her onto a branch about sixty feet above the ground. From there she was able to get the first real view of the titan pursuing her, a fifteen meter variant. The sight of it, she presently lacked the facility describe, was one that would turn to ice the blood of even the most seasoned veterans. It was like a human being that had been flayed, no skin to speak of, just like the colossal titan. It walked slowly and intently in her direction, keeping its' eyes locked onto her. The eyes, though shadowed under the creature's bangs, stood out like a fire in the night. Their gaze was as cold and empty as the northern winter. This had to be the abnormal that the message had mentioned before. She'd never even heard of anything so terrifying, much less seen it. Despite her location, Gisele began backing away until her spine pressed against the bark and she could go no further. She looked around for another sturdy branch higher up, but she was already near the top, and there weren't any other trees in range. This was as far away as she could get right now. She quietly hoped that she was out of the titan's reach, but she doubted the odds were that much in her favor. The answer would become apparent in the next few seconds.

The walking nightmare stopped at the base of the trunk and looked up. It stared for an agonizing moment as Gisele struggled to steady her weapons in her quivering hands. How was she supposed to make use of her swords or 3D Gear if she'd backed herself into a corner? The titan's arm began extending upwards toward her. A lump grew in her chest when she realized that she was going to be well within reach of its grasp. When it closed the final few feet of distance, she closed her eyes, screamed, and lashed out with one of her blades. There was a moment of nothingness, and then a small burst of heat. She gingerly raised one of her eyelids. The hand was pulling back, less four fingers. The female titan stared at the steaming stumps on its' hand for a moment as it started to regenerate. It snapped its' attention back up to the frightened young soldier and took hold of the tree branch firmly with its' unimpaired hand.

Gisele barely had a full second to question what was about to happen before the titan pulled downwards forcefully, snapping the limb completely off of the tree and catapulting her into the summer sky. In that terrifying moment, she couldn't seem to comprehend what had just happened. Was this done intentionally, or had the titan done it by accident while trying to find a way to reach her? She couldn't decide which seemed more likely as she rose higher and higher. Though it may as well have been a few hours, her ascent ceased in the span of a few seconds. She looked down instinctively, and instantaneously developed a horrendous sense of vertigo. There was, by her perception, more than a hundred meters separating her from the soil. Everything was still and quiet for a brief moment, then, she started falling, and panicking. _"Oh my God, this is really happening! I'm falling and I'm going to die. I'm going to end up nothing more than a red smear on the grass. Why? Why now? How come my life has to end this way? I want to go home! I want to see my mom and dad; I want to see my little brother again. I…didn't get the chance to tell them I loved them or anything before I left. I'm going to die alone out here and no one is even going to know. No one is ever going to find me. I'm—scared out of my mind right now. I'm not ready to die yet! I'm just a kid, this isn't fair, an end like this is meaningless!" _Gisele was crying, the tears streaking upwards like a reverse rain as the air pushed against her face. She covered her eyes and shut them. If this was going to be how she went out, she'd rather not see it coming. The only solace she could find is that it would at least be quick with her body splattering on impact. She started counting the seconds down, the little sand grains of time remaining in her life's hourglass. She could almost feel the clammy hands of death pushing down on her shoulders,

It was a slow process oddly enough. Time must feel like it moves slower when you're about to die violently because she'd already counted up to twenty, and still nothing. Maybe it was over? Maybe it had happened so fast that she'd missed it and was already dead? She hadn't even felt a fraction of pain, brief or otherwise. She lowered her hands and looked down at…a hand? She was…in the palm of a…giant…hand. The titan was holding her in front of its' face. It…wasn't trying to eat her. It was just staring at her like before, with intensity. Was it messing with her? Was it trying to savor the anticipation of devouring her? What possible reason could there be for her still being alive at this point? The idea made her angry. It was bad enough that these monsters went around gorging themselves on human meat, but now they were doing things like this? She stood up, shaking with rage. "If you're going to kill me, just do it! Don't keep me waiting down here; you've got me dead to rights so let's have it already!" She clenched her fists tightly and leered up at her captor.

It didn't open its' mouth. It didn't try to rip her in half or crush her. It actually did the complete opposite. The titan's stare softened a few degrees and lowered its' hand to the ground, dumping her into the grass. Gisele blinked several times, more than a little confused. "What the hell are you playing at?!" She asked pointedly. Its' expression remained blank, but it turned its' head, looking into the distance. The titan rose up to its' full height and turned away from her, breaking into a run.

"Hey, where are you going?! Get back here and answer me…" She trailed off when she realized what she was attempting to do. Titans couldn't speak, much less have a conversation. But what just happened? One moment, the thing is trying to kill her, and the next, it **saved her** from falling to her death, and let her go, physically no worse for the wear. It had just stared at her, from the moment it caught up, stared right in her face. Then, it just runs off? Why would a titan do something like that? It defied any and everything she had experienced or been taught about them. On top of that, where was heading? What was the creature after? The way it had acted around her, it was almost like…the titan was looking for someone.

From the ridgeline where Gisele had been positioned earlier Albrecht Johannes witnessed the latter portion of the exchange.

_"__Well kiddo, if you want to start finding some answers, you had better start riding."_

"Shut up…" He muttered to himself before firing a black flare into the sky.

Ritter was pounding miniature craters into the dirt as he and Josh thundered across the prairie. The black smoke signals were starting to appear deeper and deeper inside of the formation, and the mustard yellow columns arching into the sky on Josh's right couldn't mean anything good. At best, it meant the formation had been compromised; at worst, this outing was devolving into a full blown massacre. Whatever was going on though, he was sure that female abnormal was at the center of it. His best bet right now was to link up with the closest group he could find. Someone had to know where things stood. He hoped that everyone was alright…

He was trying to avoid going to negative headspaces, but there was so much that could go wrong out here. Fighting in the city streets seemed so cut and dry by comparison. At least there you could fight titans on your own terms.

There was a sharp crack of displaced air over at his two o'clock. His eyes followed a purple stream as it ascended skywards. Any positive thoughts he had been filling his mind with were completely erased. That was the emergency signal, and Christa was over there. He started feeling like he had that day back in Trost. He was taken by an overwhelming feeling of anxiety when he couldn't see what was happening to everyone else. But that's how it would always be beyond the wall; they were spread out to increase the effectiveness of the formation. He'd have to start trusting the others to handle themselves. Though, with that female titan running rampant, he wasn't willing to leave anything up in the air. If he knew Christa and Alb were safe, that'd be one less thing to worry about. He veered off to his right in the direction of the violet plume.

He kept his destination in the center of his field of view, concentrating exclusively on that. Everything else around him was nothing more than a haze. Had Shadis been witness to it, he surely would've smacked Josh upside the head. During training he was often chastised for either daydreaming or being so focused on something that he couldn't see or hear anything else. A note that the commandant had put on his file had said as much. No matter the reasons, a soldier in the field needed to remain cognizant of their environment. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time before you run into something…or someone. Ironically, it happened to be just who he was looking for.

Ritter stopped of his own volition just before they ploughed into Christa. Josh on the other hand, needed a few extra feet to brake and found himself in the dirt for a second time that day. In terms of pain, he'd definitely had way worse, but his back wasn't going to thank him if this kept up. He sat up and groaned. Christa had already dismounted and was running to him.

"Kassy, are you okay?!"

"Yeah…more or less anyway, I think."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three. It's not like I have a concussion. I didn't hit my head or anything, so don't worry. Besides, it didn't hurt **that** much." He brushed the dirt from his uniform.

"You say that, but you have a habit of ignoring your body when it disagrees with your stubborn head. You need to be a bit more careful or you're going to wind up crippled before you're twenty five. It's bad enough that you took so many beatings during training, without adding insult to injury, or just more injury." She proffered her hand and pulled him to his feet.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

"Don't get smart with me mister. Another thing, you need to be more alert when you're riding."

"I'm sorry, I was in the midst of freaking out. With everything that's going on and then seeing the purple smoke, I thought that you were in trouble."

"I know you get worried, but you rush headlong into things too often. There has to be some sort of plan or you'll just end up digging yourself into a deeper hole. You've got a lot of heart Kassy, and that's what we all love about you, but you can't let your emotions drown your common sense. I'm sorry if that sounded rude."

He laughed to himself and sighed. "I seriously doubt I'd have made it this far without you around. Even after all this time, I'm still pretty hopeless by myself." He wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'm just glad you're okay. I don't think I could handle losing another one of you guys."

She patted him on the back. "Just remember, that goes both ways; we can't lose **you** either."

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good, now why don't we see if we can find whoever was on the other end of that emergency signal." She nodded her head resolutely.

"Something I just noticed, when did you get a second horse?" He asked as he climbed up on Ritter's back .

"It just came sprinting towards me a little while ago. Poor thing seemed so scared, like the devil was on his tail." She rubbed the horse's ear sympathetically.

"I don't think you're too far off of the mark there, if my assumption is correct anyway. I've got a feeling we'll learn a few things when we find its' owner."

Knowing that they'd lost precious time that they didn't have, they took off together at full speed. The two of them didn't have to ride much further to reach their quarry. Barely another moment or two had past when they rounded the edge of a grove and spotted a trio of other scouts. Standing beneath the trees shady covering, were Jean, Reiner, and Armin.

Christa called out to them. "Hey guys, are you alright?!"

"Oh my God, you guys saw our signal…and you found my horse?!" For once, Jean actually sounded like he was excited. Reiner and Armin looked surprised and relieved to see them in equal measure.

"What are you guys doing way out here? Did you run into a titan?" Josh looked around.

"That's one way of putting it." Jean said while going through his saddlebags.

"Armin! Your head; you're wounded." Christa's voice squeaked slightly in her surprise, which in itself drew everyone's attention. A white band of cloth was wrapped several times around Armin's forehead, a few instances of red showing through the dressing.

"Oh this, it's nothing really, just a few scratches, I promise." He smiled softly while tending to his replacement mount.

"You know, I'm impressed someone actually answered our distress signal." Reiner climbed up into his saddle.

"Well, Josh and I were in the neighborhood, that and I found Jean's horse, so it wasn't out of the way or anything."

"Still, the way things have been, not many people would of risked the trek over here. You're as noble as the steeds you tame. I mean it when I say that we're all in your debt."

"Aw guys it was nothing. I'm just glad that you're all okay. I don't know what we'd do without you." She smiled that sunshine smile of hers and her enormous blue eyes sparkled with every word. None of them spoke for several seconds. Confused, Josh looked at the other guys, shifted his eyes to Christa, and then back again. The three of them were next to slack-jawed and it looked like on the verge of drooling as well. It was easy enough to piece things together at that point. He paused another second before busting out laughing. Even now, she was able to melt a man just by looking at him. These were guys that had known her for years and yet they still lost their minds when she opened her mouth. Such was the nature of the "I have a crush on Christa Lenz club" membership: almost every guy currently breathing, and Ymir. The looks on Armin, Reiner, and Jean's faces were so priceless. Josh almost fell off of Ritter again he was laughing so much.

"Kassy, what's so funny all of a sudden?"

"Nothing…it's nothing, I just…remembered a joke I heard once that's all." He reeled in his amusement to where it was more internalized, though still snickering intermittently. The other three guys were looking anywhere but in Christa's direction, their faces a bright shade of red.

"So, um…we should probably get back to the formation."

"Yeah, we don't want to get any farther behind than we already are. The command team is probably going to issue new orders any time now." Jean said.

The quintet of young soldiers continued in the direction of the rest of the battalion, riding in a tight cluster. "So you all saw it too then?" Josh asked Reiner as he recounted the events prior to their rendezvous.

"Yeah, saw **her**, fought **her**, got our asses pretty much handed to us by **her**. It was insane; **she** moved like a professional athlete."

"She, her? We're still talking about a titan here right?" Christa was slightly confused.

"So I'm not crazy, it was seriously a **female** titan?"

"But…there aren't any records of female classes of titans existing."

"Maybe it's kind of like the whole thing that ants have? There are thousands of male worker ants, and a single female queen at the center of the nest who lays all the eggs. I'm not trying to say that's where titans come from, but maybe she functions like some kind of leader or commander. I mean, the horde that attacked the right flank, they came through right after she did didn't they? It seems like too much of a coincidence to say that the two aren't connected. Armin had the same idea earlier. Honestly, she's probably looking to wipe out the command squad." Jean offered, wanting to figure things out just as much as the rest of them.

"There's also more to it than that. She behaved so differently than any other enemy we've encountered up to this point. She's been slaughtering her way across the vanguard, but she hasn't eaten a single one of us. As a matter of fact, she didn't even stop to try and kill any of us until we went for her nape. On top of that, her maneuvering skills were incredible. Not even considering anything else, that at the very least points to intelligence. How many titans have we ever encountered who we can say that about?"

Josh thought for a second. "Well, there's only been two that I can recall. Just the colossal and Eren."

"And Eren, exactly."

"…Oh my God."

"Armin, are you saying that this is another human that can take over a titan body?" Christa looked scared.

"It's the only logical explanation. What's more, I think it's someone from our class."

Josh looked like he'd just been slapped. "Okay, now you're just being crazy. What person in the 104th do you think would be capable of this? Do you have anything to back that up?"

"I'm not sure who it is, I don't even have any plausible ideas, but I'm sure it's someone we knew at the academy. When Jean, Reiner, and I were fighting her, she reacted to my mention of Eren's old nickname, the whole _suicidal maniac_ thing. Nobody outside of our class could have possibly recognized that moniker."

"Does it really make a difference what or who she is at this point? There've been a sweeping number of casualties over on the right and we're basically flying blind. In all likely hood, that's more than enough reason for the unit to consolidate and withdraw. Otherwise, I don't think we have a prayer of seeing this mission through. Better to quit while we're still alive and try again later." Reiner grimaced.

"You know, I'm glad we survived and all, don't get me wrong, but heading home after only an hour isn't exactly something to be proud of."

"Uh guys, I don't think we're heading home." Christa pointed up. Over in the distance, green signals were going off across the line. They were continuing eastwards. That didn't make any sense. Not only were they forging on in spite of the current situation, but they were heading even farther away from the route to Shinganshina; they needed to be going south. What in the hell was going on at the front? Was Commander Erwin unable to see the signals from the spotting squads?

"They must be out of their minds. We're not even going to rally and reform? Don't they know what's coming?" The annoyance in Jean's voice was laced with disbelief.

"I don't know, things could be going a number of ways in the forward positions, but regardless, we only have one real option. We have to assume command's got this." Armin loaded his signal gun and fired.

On the left side of the center column, Lieutenant Blasa Tanzerin and the several members of Section 29 accompanying her were in a similar state of confusion.

"Yellow smoke, black smoke, green smoke, I swear, the only color I haven't seen in the last five minutes is blue, are people suddenly going schizophrenic down the line or what?" The small officer's tone suggested she was barely reining in her annoyance.

"Whatever's happening, it can't be anything good." Richter Oschatz said half to himself. This was only his fifth time outside the walls and being in an open environment, and one that was wholly controlled by the enemy, still scared the crap out of him, despite the fact that he was surrounded by elite veterans.

"Malyatko, we have some company joining us!" Sergeant Iryna shouted. Despite her use of the hated nickname, Blasa turned over her shoulder to see what her subordinate was yelling about. The sergeant gestured over to her right with a few jerks of her thumb as a young red headed woman came galloping up alongside them.

"What do you have for us Petra?" She asked.

"The captain sent me to pass on an oral message! We received word that everyone on the forward right has been wiped out. The spotters are all gone and the warning network is compromised!" Though she spoke loudly, Petra stated the message with a remarkable air of composure. A cool head under pressure was imperative though, being a member of Levi's Special Ops team demanded such. The reaction she got from her audience however, was a little less graceful.

"Son of a mother whoring bastard!" Blasa screamed, unable to contain her frustration. It was a "colorful" phrase, even considering her regularly crude vocabulary choices. The only person who didn't raise their eyebrows in concern was Iryna.

"Don't mind the Lieutenant, she's having a bad day. Can you tell us what happened Petra my dear?"

"Don't know exactly; the messenger that we got didn't exactly have time to elaborate! Right now I think we're just trying to get the word out. You need to send someone left to keep it moving!"

"I'm on it!" Sergeant Terrelle Gerhard peeled away in search of the next unit and Petra went to return to her own. An intense disquiet had gripped the scouts in the cluster. The revelation had sparked fear in the minds of those who were newer to the regiment and dread in the minds of more long term veterans like Blasa and Iryna. Memories of the 10th Recon Mission were still as vivid now as they had been almost four years ago, not long after the wall retrieval operation. This was in the days when Erwin's long range formation was still being perfected. Expeditions often resulted in sickening casualty figures because of that. The 10th Recon Mission in particular felt similar to now. A massive horde of titans had bore down on the right flank of the line, butchering their way across the battalion for over an hour before they were held up by forces from second company. The resulting engagement prevented any further progress and held the formation up long enough, that night was well underway by the time the fighting was done. The next day, recovery teams found bodies spread out over an almost five kilometer wide area. The remains of the unit limped back into Trost, bloodied and broken. The final casualty figures were somewhere in the neighborhood of seventy percent killed, wounded, or missing. Over time, every name on the missing list was changed to killed in action.

Blasa was muttering under her breath. _"Things are going to hell. A lot of good the formation is doing us if the sons a bitches can penetrate this far in. The black signals are getting way too close to the core of the column. If the wagons, or worse the command squad end up taking a hit, every last one of us is screwed."_ She shook she her head. Things were very different now than they were back in the day. They had contingency plans for situations like these, and Erwin had contingency plans for those contingency plans. He was one of the best officers in the history of the regiment, and he always went over every angle when preparing to go beyond the walls. Everything was going to be just fine. Still, she was worried. There was a cluster of black chimneys of smoke rising straight into the clouds at their three o'clock. There was only one reason that would be happening, one of the center defense squads was being engaged.

In the ruins of an old town, left abandoned and forgotten in the wake of Wall Maria's desertion, several members of Section 18 were attempting to slow the female titan's advance. Leaping across crumbling rooftops and riding down overgrown streets, they made to encircle her. She was moving fast and keeping her nape shielded; a clever tactic as far as most titans were concerned. But there were six of them and only one of her. Amongst the scouts, inadvertently swept up in the chaos, former cadet Corvin Etter reluctantly chased after the monster on horseback. He took a deep breath and kissed his sword for good luck. He had a feeling they'd need every last bit they could spare to bring this one down.

To the front the sergeant leading them had his pistol trained on their foe's head. When she looked in his direction, he pulled the trigger, sending a black missile screaming towards her face. The creature dodged it easily, but it had grabbed her attention for the moment. That was the signal for the others to move in. Two scouts jumped from on top of the buildings, their cables stringing out like vines to embed themselves in the titans flesh. On the ground, two others did the same and Corvin swung himself around to her front, his comrades already covering any open weak spots. The sergeant wheeled around and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Move in! Cut the Achilles heel, the spinal cord, anything you can reach, whatever it takes, we're bringing the bitch down, ATTACK!"

The soldiers let loose battle cries, oaths of vengeance, or simply shrieked with rage. They were all reeling in for the kill, ready to bleed their enemy dry. She was smart, but there was no way in hell she could prevent every strike. Two or three of them were going to bite into her. Then, barely a second before any of them made contact, the female titan did the one thing that none of them had anticipated, she took a cable in each of her hands, and she jumped. What followed felt like it happened in slow motion, shock whittling the scouts' perception of reality down to one certain truth; they were all going to die.

The first of them to fall, the man unlucky enough to have gone straight for her ankles, had been swept under her feet when she leapt up. As she came down, the full force of her landing hit him front on, pulping his body against the ground. The second and third scouts, a man and a woman, tried to pull back and recover from their strikes, but she had them. The man was mashed against the wall of a townhouse. The woman was punched so hard that she went **through** the side of a stone windmill. The fourth man found himself dangling from the titan's hand, watching in horror as his squad mates were murdered. He looked up at the creature. Her eyes betrayed no emotion, no pleasure, no pain, no presence of a soul. He was afraid.

"Stop it…put me down! Put me down!" Her response to his cries was to begin flinging him around like a ball on a string. The g-forces with which she spun him were so great that, even from the ground, Corvin heard the man's spine snap before she tossed him backwards into the heavens. He turned briefly over his shoulder to see the sergeant taking off on his horse.

"Hey! What the hell, don't leave me here!" His protest either went unheard or they were ignored and the other horses were scattering in all directions, fleeing the carnage. He was alone then, at the mercy of a forty five foot tall hell spawn. What a bitter pill to swallow. He lives through Trost just to bite it on his first mission. So that was the hand he'd been dealt; it was rather tragic. Thing was though, if he was going down, he wasn't going to do it crying and begging for his life. He was going to do it like a damn scout.

He craned his neck upwards to look into the face of his reaper. The sun was directly overhead now, casting deep shadows across her features, but those eyes, those cold, cold eyes, they were easy to see. There was something distantly familiar about those eyes. He felt like he'd seen them a number of times. In each instance they were cold and unfeeling, just as they were now. There was apathy in them, like this was all so boring to her. Why did he recognize those eyes? Who's were they? Strange that his desire to know that was infinitely stronger than his desire to escape from here.

"You know, I'm sure most people would be wondering why you hadn't eaten them at this point, but you don't like eating us do you? No, you just kill us, swat us down like we're no more than bugs. I know why you haven't flattened me yet. You haven't done it because you can tell I'm not afraid of you. I won't ask you for mercy, nor will I show you any. I'm going to die swinging these blades like a freaking man!" He flourished his weapons and assumed an attack stance. He grinned in amusement when the titan did the same. He wasn't going to be able to stall her for very long, but maybe it would be enough time for something good to come out of it. At the very least, his death would be that of a soldier.

Corvin took a deep breath and, with as loud of a roar as he could muster, charged toward the titan. He struck out at her feet, but she pulled them back. She attempted to squash him like she had one of the others, but he dodged, making use of his equipment. He kicked himself off from a building, swinging to cut her behind the knee; she moved out of his way, bringing her leg back to kick him aside. This attack too, he dodged. So the two of them went, engaging in a violent tango that could only end in his own demise. To an observer, the spectacle may have been described as magnificently artful, less of a battle and more of a ballet. This kept going until the young soldier had used most of his gas reserves. That's how he'd been moving around her so fast, by using far more gas than would have been anywhere near necessary.

When his tanks had begun to peter out, she was finally able to grab a hold of him. The creature held Corvin Etter up at eye level with her, watching as he defiantly jammed his blades into her hand. An almost sinister grin creased his features as she began to squeeze his body.

"When I was fighting you just now, I was trying to piece it together, who you really are underneath this…thing, and you know what? I just figured it out." Her grip tightened incrementally as he spoke, the strain on his ribs was building slowly. "I just have one question to…ask you. Even if you try to…kill every last one of…us, when you finally get to **him**…what are you going…to do? Let's be honest for just…a second. No matter what happens, no matter what…you…need to…do, you won't be able to bring yourself…to hurt **him**." He was struggling to keep any air in his lungs now as she squeezed the life out of him. "You can always…correct me…if…I'm…wrong, but I don't…think I am…Isn't that right…An…" With one last twitch of her hand muscle, she crushed him, turning his bones into paste. Blood and gore ran out through the cracks between her fingers, dripping down to the street below. She held onto the corpse for another few seconds before opening her hand. The remains splattered on a piece of rubble. The female titan raised her head up in the direction that the sergeant had ridden off in, and she started running.

A couple of kilometers away, Alekzander Zielinski and Erik Grunewald were riding determinedly forward. When they had received word of the attack on the right flank, the mission plan seemed to have changed drastically, almost entirely. If they were still heading for Shinganshina at some point, it didn't look like it was going to be any time soon. For now though, their plan was simple, find a place to hold up and regroup with the other cadets who'd been positioned on the left wing as they were. Maybe then they could get a fuller picture of what was happening. Ahead of them, at the end of the fields, a dark blob stretched away in either direction as far as either of them could discern.

Erik leaned over and tapped Alex on the shoulder. "Hey, man do you see where we're heading right now?"

"Yeah…I do." He said quietly.

Erik held his reins tighter. "Any words that come to mind at first glance?"

"Yeah…those are some **really** big ass trees."


	19. A Thousand Questions

"What do you mean we don't have_ permission_ to enter the forest?" Aline looked at the officer like he was smoking opium.

"Commander Erwin's orders, only the center ranks are allowed to go in, the rest of the unit is going around."

"It'd be nice of him to at least explain _why_ we're doing it. I thought the whole point of this formation was keeping everyone within eyeshot? Signals won't do us much good if we can't freaking see them…sir."

"It isn't your job to question orders recruit, it's your job to follow them. Keep that in mind when next you take that kind of tone with your superiors." The officer pushed on ahead to the front of the ad-hoc column to be alongside the section commander. Aline scowled at him once his back was turned.

All told, about forty scouts from various parts of the left wing had joined up with them by this point, each of them questioning the tactical logic behind dividing the battalion's forces into thirds. So far however, no one in a position of authority had been kind enough to relay any details down the chain of command.

The company made a left wheel as they came up against the imposing wall of trees, the wagons and their defense squads vanishing from sight as the shadows of the woods swallowed them by the dozen.

"You should probably choose your words a little more carefully when they're around, you know?" Elise said as she pulled up to Aline's shoulder.

"I'm just pissed alright? We're putting our lives on the line here, the commander shoulder have the common courtesy to give us something to go on. I mean, what are we even doing here?"

"We're skirting around the woods?"

"Obviously, but why? This is way off course from the route we need to be taking. So, what's the deal? Is he reading his map upside down; are we even still going to Shinganshina? I don't like being kept in the dark, and I don't imagine you're happy with the state of things either."

"Of course I'm not happy about it, but we aren't exactly in a position to change anything. Getting worked up over this isn't going to accomplish anything though, aside from making everyone more anxious than they already are."

"We can't see anything from over here. No runner is going to be able to get to us through all the scrub and underbrush. We're completely cut off from everyone else and vice versa."

Even though what she was saying had a general sense of merit to it, Elise could see that there was an underlying fear eating away at her. "Are you…worried about Josh, Albrecht, and Christa?"

Aline's voice dropped to just above a whisper. Her face lowered, strands of her light brown hair hanging over her eyes. "To be perfectly honest, I'm terrified beyond belief."

Elise kneaded her hands together for moment, considering her own thoughts before saying anything. "If it makes you feel any better, I am too."

When they fought alongside one another, they were able to make the best of their combined strengths and cover for each of their individual weaknesses. That's what they'd been trained to do the whole time they were in the cadets. Teamwork was the key element in titan combat, and they'd learned to trust each other specifically and implicitly. So being separated as they were, it brought on something of a helpless feeling. Sure, none of them could be more than a couple of kilometers apart, but today, that might as well have been the dark side of the moon.

Though they may not have known it, each of the former members of Squad Seven was thinking that exact same thing. It was perhaps a manifestation of the threads that subconsciously connected them all.

A short distance to the rear, Alex and Erik were having similar discussions.

"I don't understand why in the hell we're splitting up. If the right wing's been hammered to pieces, all logical thinking would take us back home, or have the unit consolidate and reform at the very least." Erik said while biting his knuckle, frustrated.

"Maybe we're here to try and shake whatever's been hitting our flank? The forest is pretty thick, easy territory to lose someone tailing you. We could probably put some more ground between us at any rate."

"That's definitely possible…but still, I'm hoping this is a temporary detour."

"Of course it is. We're just passing through on our way to a rally point I'm sure. It's not like we're going to stop and camp here or anything."

"COMPANY, HOLD UP AND DISMOUNT!" One of the officers at the front shouted. "We're taking up defensive positions inside the tree line! Tie off your horses and pull arms!"

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Alex said under his breath.

Erik narrowed his eyes and turned to him. "Just passing through huh?"

"Hey don't look at me like that, it's not like this is my fault. Look on the bright side; they're actually giving us something to do." He smiled sheepishly as he came to a halt and slid out of his saddle. "Who knows, maybe now they'll actually brief us on what's going on?"

Though he was hopeful, he didn't exactly believe it. Nobody seemed like they knew a damn thing, nobody here at least. Orders were all they'd been trusted with.

At this point the question was, if so many of the officers hadn't more than an inkling of what the _real_ plan was, where in the formation, and how far up the chain of command did one need to go for some answers?

To the south, Blasa Tanzerin and her contingent were into the forest, the wagons visible a few hundred meters ahead.

Silence had prevailed over the lot of them in the last ten minutes or so. Another messenger, this time coming from the forward positions, had whispered something in Blasa's ear. Immediately afterwards, they'd picked up speed and altered their course, aligning themselves with the route of the supply column.

Richter Oschatz, though sporting slate gray hair and several lines in his forehead, was the youngest of those present, only nineteen years old. Before they'd become engulfed by the heavy shade of the trees, he had watched intently as the squads on their flanks veered off to the left and right. He'd never seen or heard of the long range formation breaking before, and the sight stirred a sea of disquiet in his mind.

"Lieutenant, will you permit me a question ma'am?"

"Go ahead Ricky, ask away."

"I realize that I haven't been with the regiment for very long, and I haven't spent nearly as much time beyond the walls as the rest of the section, but I'm more than a little…confused at the moment. What sense is there in dividing our forces in this place? If the enemy ravaging right wing is as dangerous as they say, why leave the other companies out in the open?"

"Do you trust in your officers? Do you have faith in Commander Erwin?"

"Ma'am, I'm not quite sure I follow."

"Do you believe that those appointed to lead this regiment have the best interests of the mission_ and_ individual soldiers at heart when they make decisions? Do **you** have faith that Commander Erwin can and will see this operation successful and bring us home?"

"Of course I do, without question. I just…want to know why the bigger picture is being kept…well, a secret from the rest of us. What's the point of that?"

Blasa looked back over her shoulder. "This is the military young Oschatz; everyone is told what they need to be when the need arises. That's how things have always been. As soldiers, our job is to follow our orders and trust those above us in the chain of command. If we can't do that, then everything falls to pieces and we become little more than an armed rabble. Erwin Smith has never steered the Survey Corps wrong, and there's no reason to suspect that he'd start now." She then projected her voice so that everyone in the section could hear. "That goes for anyone else here who's having any doubts or conflicting feelings! You're all scouts, the best damn soldiers in human history, so I want you to act like it! We don't cry to be spoon fed like academy brats; is that understood?!"

"YES MA'AM!" They all sounded off simultaneously.

"That's what I like to hear! Now, put some heel to these mangy beasts and ride you filthy inbreeds, or titans won't be the only ones chewing your ass later! We've got a schedule to keep!"

If nothing else, Blasa had spirit and fire in her. You had to give her that, even if much of that spirit was devoted to finding increasingly innovative ways to cuss at those under her command. She was a crass, ill mannered, immature, and insulting, piss ant of a woman but she was an excellent commander. In her own verbally abusive way, she was also encouraging. She sought and fostered improvement in her troops wherever she saw it lacking, drilling them sun up to sun down at times. At the end of the day however, she was just "one of the guys". She drank with them, played cards, and even took a few lumps in their defense. Her methods were unconventional, and many would likely say _unbecoming of an officer_. Never afraid to say exactly what she thought, and often seeking to _punch_ her point home, even with her superiors, she'd have been court marshaled twenty times over in any other outfit.

These were among the things that Richter admired about the lieutenant.

It was often said that Sergeant Iryna was the mother of them all. If that was true, then Blasa was their big sister, pushing them to succeed and going to bat for them whenever the need arose. Just like another group of young soldiers, they were a family. It made him smile knowing that he was a part of that.

"I take it you feel a little less discouraged now?" Terrelle Gerhard turned to him.

Richter nodded. "She really has a way with words when she wants to."

"She knows the importance of keeping a level head out here; we can't afford distractions. The LT is just ensuring we stay focused on the task ahead of us."

"What exactly **is** the task sir? I still don't know what we're doing."

The sergeant grinned mischievously. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough my young friend."

"Do you have to be all weird about it; couldn't you just tell me?" He rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to spoil the surprise for you." Terrelle's grin broadened.

Richter looked over at Iryna, seeking some support, but she smiled at him just as her colleague; though admittedly hers was much less—creepy. Regardless, she didn't seem apt to divulge information either. If that was the case, there wasn't even a point in asking the rest of the squad. So he dropped it. Answers would come in their own time, hopefully.

They forged on, driving towards the heart of the wood. The speed of their progress was nothing short of astounding, and a testament to the strength of the mounts carrying them.

The group hit a bend in the road, wheeling around it with expert precision. Past the curve, they rode several hundred meters further until Blasa brought them to an abrupt halt on the inside of a clearing. The supply wagons were spread out in a semi circle to their front. Dozens of soldiers were sprinting back and forth, relaying orders, moving horses and equipment. Lieutenant Tanzerin acted as quickly as they had been riding, dismounting even before her horse had stopped. She pivoted on heel, barking orders and gesturing for her troop to drop from their saddles as well.

"Markus, I want the horses stowed somewhere out of sight! Terrelle, take your team and assume assault positions up top! Iryna, take Ricky and the rest of the squad and help Hange unload the wagons; we don't have a lot of time!"

The members of Section Twenty Nine dispersed in different directions to attend to their assignments. Terrelle's team disappeared up into the branches, and Iryna's began pulling crates from the supply carts. Yanking back the tarp on the bed, Richter grabbed the nearest container. He noted that the wooden boxes weighed next to a ton, almost dropping the first one as soon as he'd lifted it. His body swayed slightly with the strain. As he fumbled to keep his grip, he took notice of metal rattling around inside the case.

"Excuse…me Sergeant Shevchenko, what…in the hell is…in—these—things?" He managed as he lowered the box.

Iryna didn't look up from her task. "My dear dytyncha, these are full of ammunition." She grunted as she pried the lid off of her first crate.

"We brought cannons out here?" He asked, baffled by whatever logic could have reached such a decision.

"I take it you haven't gotten to spend much time around Ms. Zoe when we've deployed have you?" She laughed.

"I want those _harpoon _guns set up at even intervals around the clearing! Get me as many in the trees as possible; we need to cover every firing angle! I want each and every one of these loaded five minutes ago! If I see a single empty barrel I'll have all of your leave passes revoked for the next two months!" Section Commander Hange shouted as loud as she could manage.

Richter had to think for a second to make sure he'd heard correctly. "What the heck are we going to do with harpoons?" No sooner than the words had left his mouth he heard the distinctive report of a flare pistol in the distance. Everyone in the vicinity began working with greater urgency.

One of the other squad members ran past him. "If you're all that anxious for an answer kid, I'd say you'll get one in the next ten minutes or so!"

Toward the southern edge of the sprawling forest, the members of the right wing's third company stood silently. Resting atop the limbs of the soaring timbers, they stood sentry, eyes scanning the lands beyond for the presence of the enemy. The order had been given for them to assume defensive stances and prevent any titans from entering the forest, though few of those present could find reason in such a command. Thus far however things had been quiet.

"Ugh, this suckssssss. It'd be more exciting to watch paint dry; where's Christa when I need her?" Ymir groaned, only half to herself, presumably so the aforementioned girl would hear.

"Hey, I don't mind if it stays like this all day. Being bored means we don't have to worry about getting chewed on. This is about as exciting as I want things to get." One of the nearby scouts snorted.

"There's a good point if I've ever heard one." Josh muttered under his breath. He was looking at them from several trees away, glad that there was a bit of idle time to be had at last. Riding as hard as they had been, the animals were likely glad of the break too.

The afternoon's events were still catching up to him. The synapses in his head were firing off like rifle volleys as he tried piecing things together. There was so much that he didn't get, that didn't make sense, and so far nothing had gone how he'd imagined it would. This series of incidents was made even more astonishing by the fact that they'd only been out here slightly less than two hours, though time had passed so irregularly that to him, it might as well have been two _days_. The whole of it was giving him a bit of a headache.

There was some good amidst it all though. He'd managed to link up with the others, and found both Christa and Albrecht. His heart had leapt upon finding each of them in good health, though his lankly childhood friend was not alone when they reunited.

A girl with pale skin and braided, light blonde hair had been clinging tightly to him from behind, no doubt to keep from falling off of the shared horse at the time. Strangely though, she hadn't gotten more than five feet from him since the time they all dismounted, keeping her eyes firmly fixated on his back. Her face bore the traces of being flushed, like she was embarrassed about something. She said nothing, nor did she acknowledge any of the rest of them. All she did was diffidently hang at Albrecht's tail. Interestingly, he was acting completely indifferent to her presence, as though he was unaware of it.

Josh knew who the girl was; another former cadet from the 104th, but it took him a moment to dredge up an identity. If memory served him, her name was Gisele Delacroix.

He studied the pair of them, attempting to discern what had taken place.

"So, what's up with those two?" Christa leant down from the branch above him.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I don't think I've ever seen them _close_ to one another."

"This is why I shouldn't leave you guys alone; weird things seem to happen when I'm gone."

"Looking back at the last few years I'd have to say I agree with you." That was _just_ considering what he and Annie had gotten into. Though, Christa's statement made him wonder what the others had been doing to cause concern; he'd never considered what the academy held for them while he was off getting skewered by cupid's paring blade. He wistfully pictured those times, when things were simpler, when they felt like they all were invincible…

No, don't go there. Hold onto the good memories; don't focus on the painful ones.

That was easier said than done in Albrecht's case. Much of his happiness and mirth had been left to wither in the streets of Trost. It was mostly anger and regret that filled him now. His "demons" had seen to that. Their incessant taunting, the apparitions that haunted him day and night, it was a twisted hell that only he could experience. Though it had only been occurring for the last month and a half, the ordeal had begun to physically age him. Despite his best efforts at concealment, it often drew concerned glances from those around him. He doubted any of them had an inkling of what he was going through. None of them knew how he'd wandered the halls at night, head pounding, hate filled tears streaming down his cheeks.

_"__One day soon, I'll be rid of you __**parasite**__." _He thought to himself.

_"__Hmmm, now there's one you haven't called me before, just when I was worried you were running out of insults ha-ha."_ The lost sergeant's voice responded, echoing in his subconscious.

_"__I wish I could rip out your vocal chords and sew your mouth shut."_

_"__Ouch, that's an awfully mean thing to say to someone, dead or not. I thought we were becoming really great friends too?"_

_"__Don't patronize me with your lies Ms. Tanzerin, I don't need it."_

_"__I like you kid, but now you're just being hurtful. To think that I'd ever lie to you, come on, you know me so much better than that."_ There was a touch of venom in the last phrase. Malice, underwritten in that faux polite tone she so often used with him.

_"__I don't think you have any room to talk in regards to hurting others…"_

_"__Geez, someone has a stick in their ass today. You shouldn't be so tense; it's not good for you. As your friend, I'm telling you that you have to relax. Maybe you should ask little miss shy, blonde, and adorable behind you if she could help with all that tension?_

_"__You're disgusting."_ Were the sergeant in front of him, he'd have liked nothing more than to spit in her face.

_"__Hey, I'm just saying. You're like her knight in shining armor, riding up on your gallant steed to rescue the damsel in distress. It's not like you __**had**__ to do that. Pretty damn 'noble' of you to not ask for anything in return. She'd probably be down for it too, the way she's been following you like a stray puppy says it all."_

_"__That's not the kind of man I am. I refuse to let anyone else die when I'm in a position to prevent it. That's what would have happened if I'd left her to fend for herself. There was no ulterior motive behind it so you can stop trying to fabricate one."_

_"__Okay, fine. Just don't say that I never did you any favors."_ She paused for a few seconds and sighed. _"Sometimes you're no fun at all, you know that?"_ Her disappointment was evident, weighing heavy on each word.

For once, Albrecht had managed to create a sense of upset in his tormentor, however small it was. Knowing that gave him a bit of satisfaction, and he half cracked a smile.

"All soldiers stand to! Enemy contacts approaching our front!" An officer's voice boomed out of the quiet.

Albrecht raised his eyes to see two seven meter titans jogging awkwardly toward the forest, stumbling and flailing their limbs. As clumsy as they appeared, these creatures weren't to be underestimated. The moment you started thinking that any of them weren't dangerous would likely be your last. Still, with only a pair of them, twenty _scouts_ wouldn't even break a sweat cutting the monsters down.

He tightly gripped the hilts of his swords and crouched low, preparing to push off the moment the enemy was in striking distance. Several of the others were doing the same.

"Hold your positions and wait for my mark!" The officer shouted again.

There was a collective inhalation from the troops arrayed as their targets closed the distance between them. Josh and Christa shared an affirming nod.

"Time to earn the day's keep eh?" He said without humor.

She rolled her shoulders back. "Same strategy as always?"

"Yeah, come at its' back from both flanks and strike behind the knees…"

"…Travelling up the spine and cutting across the nape. Considering the height, momentum should carry us most of the way through, saving us a bit of gas in the process." They were already in sync with each other.

Josh called over his shoulder. "Alb, you wanna run interference for us on this one?"

"It's all the same to me as long as the thing dies." He said coldly.

"What um…what can I do?" Gisele said quietly from behind him.

"If you plan on following me down there, just do as I do. We distract the titan for a few seconds, get it to turn away just long enough for Josh and Christa to bring it down, then we come back here. Fast and easy. It's a basic team strategy."

"Okay, I can do that. I'll be right behind you hon…Alby…I've got your back yes!" She buried her face in her hands, not quite believing what she'd nearly said. Albrecht however didn't seem to have heard any of it. The world around him reduced to nothing more than white noise as his quarry finally reached the tree line.

The order was given. "SCOUTS, ENGAGE!"

Albrecht pushed off with his feet, leaping into the nothingness. Gisele was on him like a shadow. Josh and Christa stuck themselves into the nearest trees and waited.

Albrecht hooked himself to an outlying branch and propelled himself past the titan's face, dragging his blade through the left cheek as he circled around it in a counterclockwise motion. The creature turned to follow his movement, just as he'd hoped. It waved its' arm around, groping for him like a drunk trying to find his steinkrug. The few times it got close, he lopped off the tips of the fingers. Gisele was only a dozen feet behind him, following up by reducing the appendages to stubs in his wake. A task she had practiced once before since departing Wall Rose. Albrecht was quickly becoming impressed with her follow up time. She was quick on the draw, he had to give her that much. The two of them continued darting back and forth in front of the titan, repeating the process several times to keep the attention away from their comrades.

"Looks like its show time." Christa released her brakes. She and Josh both did a swan dive off of the branches, running their spools until they were but a few feet from the soil at the equilibrium point of their pendulum swing. They drew back their swords. Simultaneously they pulled the mechanisms of their gear, an extra spurt of gas propelling them skyward again. Blades were driven into the giant's flesh, rendering hideous gashes along the length of its' legs as torque carried the two soldiers up.

At neck height, they released their hooks before trading sides with one another. Christa expertly somersaulted over her partner's head and Josh laid himself flat. Steel drug across the tissue in opposing directions, popping the already steaming chunk of meat out of place. It was a clean kill, and their first team action since joining the scouts.

From start to finish, the whole thing had taken slightly less than a minute. It appeared to have worked out similarly for the team engaging the other titan.

The four of them traveled back up to their perches and set down, rather pleased with themselves overall. Though, Albrecht did sound slightly annoyed when he spoke.

"That bit at the end there, you two didn't need to be showing off. The kill could have been made just as easily without the acrobatics."

Josh smirked, his friend ever the no nonsense soldier. "Yeah, but remember what the Commandant always used to tell us? 'Sword combat is a lot more than just swinging your blades around; it is in many ways, an art form. While you are here, I will forge each of you into an artist, and you will craft masterpieces worthy of Ares.' We're just showing appreciation for Shadis' teachings." The words sounded so pretentious he had to stop himself from laughing.

"I think a lot of that was BS to get us more hyped for running drills."

"Well…even if it wasn't as fancy, I thought what **you** were doing was cool too." Gisele was looking down and rubbing her arm. The other three looked at her, a little surprised by her demeanor. When she realized she was being stare at, she got even more flustered, excusing herself to her former perch almost immediately.

When she was out of earshot, Christa tugged on Albrecht's sleeve. "Not that your romantic pursuits are really my business, but what'd you do to her? I don't mean to come across as accusatory or anything though."

"Yeah, I'm kind of curious; what's the deal with you two?." Josh folded his arms.

"What do you mean 'what'd I do to her?' I didn't do anything. She lost her horse after running into the female titan and I picked her up, that's all. How are you getting 'romantic pursuits' out of this?"

"Man, I'm your friend, and I don't want to insult your intelligence, but are you really **that** dense? That woman has been clinging to you like a security blanket since before you joined up with us again."

"She's acting almost as bad as Annie was when she started dating Kassy. Gisele has a crush on you, and that's as plain as the wings on our backs."

"But I didn't even do anything! Heck, before today I don't think that I've spoken more than a couple of sentences to her!" He made an effort to keep his voice down.

"Then I guess you just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Congratulations on having your first fan girl." Josh suppressed a grin.

"Oh for God sakes, you're being ridiculous, both of you are. This isn't the time for things like that; we're in the middle of enemy occupied territory. I can't babysit her or anything."

Christa raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. "Do you really think you'd have to? She's pretty good with her 3D Gear, and I know you saw it. If she didn't know how to fight, she wouldn't be here right now."

"Okay, but how am I supposed to deal with this, what do I say?"

"I don't see the problem. She's sweet and very pretty, she's obviously got some feelings going on, how about giving her a shot?" She shrugged.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Neither of you are helping at all. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER!"

"Well my friend, this looks to me like the perfect opportunity to get better acq…" Josh trailed off, looking puzzled.

"Are you going to finish that sentence?"

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Kassy, I didn't hear anything."

"I could've sworn I just…never mind. It was probably nothing."

"EVERYBODY LOOK ALIVE, we have an enemy horde moving in from our southwest!" This time the officer that spoke was Section Commander Nanaba. The three of them turned their attention in the aforementioned direction, and Albrecht felt a knot growing in his stomach. Bounding across the fields towards them was a cluster of titans, forty, perhaps sixty in number, ranging from five to fifteen meters in size. They streamed in, bunching up around the tree trunks once they caught sight of the potential food standing above them. This was too many to handle. There was no way they could effectively engage so many opponents at one time; it'd be a slaughter.

Jean gave voice to the question before anyone else. "So, our orders are to keep the titans out of the forest right? That uh, doesn't exactly mean that we have to _fight_ them does it?"

"At this point, I really hope not." Bertolt said softly.

Why were so many of them together in one spot? A dozen, or even two dozen of them wouldn't have seemed so out of place, but this? Titans didn't normally travel in groups of this number, not unless they were drawn by a substantial, concentrated human presence. Unless, something else had pulled them in this direction. Bringing any other possibility into account, these had to be members of the horde following in the wake of the female titan. Did that mean she was here? The answer to that question came forth from the deepest part of the woods. There was the sound of an explosion. The members of third company barely had enough time to acknowledge the noise before it repeated itself again. First a handful of times, then dozens, scores, maybe more than a hundred explosions followed. It was like the sound of heavy rain beating against the taut skin of a war drum, except infinitely louder.

Josh, Albrecht, and Christa slowly turned.

"That can't be what it sounds like. There's no way we could've snuck those out here. We would've needed as many wagons as we have people." Albrecht whispered.

"It has to be, nothing else in the world makes that kind of racket." Josh said with a shaking voice.

Christa sounded worried for the first time since Trost. "Guys, that's definitely cannon fire."

Richter Oschatz was doing his best to cover his ears, the din around him threatening to render his hearing useless. He was crouched down behind one of the gun racks that they'd set up, watching as fire, smoke, and steel pierced the air. Off to his left, though it wasn't audible over the sound of the barrage, he could see that Section Commander Hange was shrieking with joy, her arms spread wide like a cultist welcoming Armageddon. The woman had clearly taken leave of her senses, if she'd ever had any to begin with.

By the time the guns stopped firing, his ears were ringing like cathedral bells. Iryna actually had to shake him before he was able to notice that it was over. As he stood, the murk was drifting away to reveal the scene before him. He got his first look at their new enemy. At the center of the clearing, secured in place by dozens upon dozens of razor sharp grappling hooks, was the twitching muscled form of the female titan.

"What just happened?!"

"You don't have to yell sweetheart, I'm right next to you." The veteran scout looked at him kindly.

"Sorry ma'am…so, can you tell me what we just did?" His ears were still recovering.

She smiled broadly and put her arm around his shoulder. There was a somewhat unsettling sparkle in her green eyes, like the one that you often saw on Hange. "Richter, my little soldat khlopchyk, we have just captured a prominent figure on the Survey Corps' most wanted list. Now we just have to cut out the person inside."

"Another titan shifter? I thought Jaeger was the only one out there?"

"So did we, up until recently anyway. Based on what we've been looking at, there could be a number of people who possess the ability, several at the least. Thing is, we'd have to capture one of them to know for sure, hence the elaborate set up you see around you."

"Do you have any idea who might be in there?" He stared up at the rather disturbing looking creature caught in their trap.

"I don't have a clue. I can tell you one thing though, when we get them out of there, there's going to be a long line of people who want some answers and some payback." She cracked her knuckles. "Now we just wait for Blasa and Levi to get started." The former of which was already chomping at the bit.

"Let me have a go at it."

"Lieutenant, this is still a largely unknown enemy, I will not have one of my best officers going in there without a partner. Levi will be along momentarily, be patient." Commander Erwin looked down his nose at their captive.

"With respect sir, I don't need the _good_ captain's assistance with this. Send Mike in with me, we don't have time to wait around." She looked at him with any angrily pleading stare.

There was the familiar twang of oscillating wire as an anchor lodged into the tree between the two of them. Captain Levi landed on the branch, looking as morose as he usually did. "She doesn't seem to be putting up much of a fight does she?"

"That's no reason to let our guard down though. You and your team did an excellent job leading her here; I must say I'm rather impressed."

"I can't take all the credit for it. We wouldn't have been able to make it without the assistance of the rear contingent. Their lives bought us the time we needed. This victory belongs to them as much as any of my troopers. I don't intend to ever forget that."

"Well put indeed."

"Because of their sacrifice, we can find out who this really is." He shifted his attention to the female titan. "You have to wonder whether the person inside is pissing themselves right about now."

"She'll be pissing blood by the time I'm through with her." Blasa gritted her teeth.

Erwin held up his hand to forestall her. "Not just yet. First, I think we should make use of a little extra insurance. SECONDARY AND TIRTIARY GUN BATTERIES, FIRE! EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" Another deafening fusillade of iron filled the clearing as several dozen more cannons were ignited. There were wet crunching sounds as they burrowed into the muscle and their serrated fins latched on. If there was any doubt surrounding how secure she was before, that quelled them in short order. Honestly, they probably could have taken in at least a score of regular titans with this many restraints.

Blasa lowered her hands from her ears. "Overkill much sir?"

"In our line of work, there's no such thing as being too cautious. I don't leave anything to chance." He faced the two of them. "As soon as the smoke clears, you're clear to go in. She's got her hands covering her nape so you'll have to do a little digging."

"Oh, it'll be my pleasure sir." She unsheathed.

"Captain, Lieutenant, proceed with the extraction."

The two of them were gone before anyone else had time to blink. They swooped down from on high so as to give their strikes as much momentum as possible. The weapons came forward, only a foot or two away from their mark when a blue, crystalline substance formed, almost instantaneously, over her hands and wrists. When the super hard steel made contact with its' surface, the blades shattered into a thousand pieces, troops below scattered to avoid the deadly rain that followed.

Lieutenant Tanzerin quickly returned to the tree. She looked at her mangled swords, then at the female titan, then back at her swords. There was a twitching in one of Blasa's facial muscles. "You have got to be bullshitting me!"

Levi landed next to Erwin. "It looks like that won't be getting us anywhere."

"Rather impressive, she can harden parts of her skin to protect herself. I wonder how many strikes it would take for us to chip our way through. Likely far too many considering our first attempt." He thought for a moment. "Sergeant Gerhard!" He called out.

"Yes sir?" The veteran presented himself quickly.

"I want you to pass the word around to the gunnery teams. Load artillery rounds. I want her hands blown off."

"Sir? All due respect, I'm not sure that's going to get the result you want. Yeah it'll destroy the hands, but we'd probably obliterate whatever's underneath them too."

"I know. That's why you're going to have them aim very carefully so that we can sever them at the wrists. We'll carve out the person inside before they have time to regenerate. Scouts always exhaust every possible solution."

"Well sir, you've always been good with improvising. I'll let the cannon crews know the plan." He dropped down.

"Levi, you and Blasa stand by in the meantime. We'll need you both soon enough."

"I think I'll have a little chat with our esteemed guest while we wait." Levi said in monotone before flying himself over to land on the female titan's head. He tapped his foot against her scalp. "Knock knock, we **know** you're in there. You should do yourself a favor and come out while I'm still in a good mood."

In first company's sector to the northwest, things had stayed remarkably quiet. Aside from the artillery, there'd been nothing since they arrived. Not even a single titan had come their way. They hadn't even _seen _one since early on in the mission. It was…odd. That's what Aline was thinking at least. She was still aggravated that they'd been told nothing, left waiting in the wings for who knew what. First, reports of heavy casualties on the opposite end of the line, and now cannons going off like it was the battle of Trost all over again. There was no reason that they should still be over here. The other companies were obviously being engaged and there was a superb lack of an enemy presence on their end. First company had gathered approximately fifty soldiers together by this point, and they were standing around basically _watching birds._ Why stay where their strength wasn't needed? They should be elsewhere, supporting the others and doing some fighting, screw their orders.

She was standing a handful of meters behind the officer who'd lead them all here. Aline, in the time they had been on station in the branches, had grown to hate him. He rebuked every single one of her questions, concerns, and statements, telling her to be quiet and keep her eyes toward the enemy. What enemy? His was the behavior of a man who knew just as little as those he was "commanding", and that uncertainty was wearing on him. The rippling explosions mere moments had visibly unsettled him. She had to press her idea home while he was close to caving. With his nerves being frayed at both ends, perhaps he'd see her logic. If he didn't…well she wasn't going to take no for an answer, not this time.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Be quick about it. This isn't the occasion for idle chatter recruit."

"Sir, what are we still doing here? There haven't been any titans sighted on our flank for over an hour, and the bulk of our forces are being heavily engaged to the south. Should we not redeploy and provide support?"

"Our orders are to hold the line and prevent any enemies from entering the forest. That is what we are going to continue to do."

"I don't see the enemy section commander. So what are we defending against?"

"They could arrive at any time. If we were to go now, the perimeter would be breached instantly. We _are_ staying put recruit Holde, until we receive instructions telling us otherwise."

"Have you not been paying attention sir? That artillery fire was coming from deep _inside_ the forest. That means the enemy has already breached the perimeter. Those guys weren't shooting off glitter bombs."

For the first time, the officer turned to face her, his eyes narrowed to slits. "I suggest you watch your tone recruit, you're treading dangerously close to insubordination."

She looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me?! Sir, at this very moment our comrades in arms are fighting, possibly losing, and we're just going to sit with our thumbs in our asses and let them die?!"

"You should learn to hold your tongue when speaking to a superior officer; you're going the right way towards a court marshal."

"Oh bite me, and screw your court marshal; this is idiotic. Why don't you go ahead and be honest with us finally? You don't know a damn thing about what's going on out there do you? Or is there more to it? Maybe you're opting to stay put because you don't really have the balls to fight titans? You're a piss poor excuse for a leader. Do you care so little about your fellow scouts? Do their lives mean nothing to you?! To hell with this, and to hell with you. I'm getting on my horse and riding over to rendezvous with third company. Anybody who wants to come, you're more than welcome to follow me, but I'm not staying here." She turned to head down, nearly twenty of the other scouts made a move to follow her.

"Stop right there! How dare you question **my** courage, **my** loyalty, **my** commitment to the cause! I've just about had it with your smart mouth. It's apparent to me that you lack proper discipline. Should you deign to continue this course of action I'll have you executed for inciting a mutiny!" He leveled his sword in her direction. That wasn't the best decision.

Aline half turned around. The officer, despite his bluster, was noticeably sweating. He didn't have to look very hard at the faces around him to tell how this was going to play out. It was more than clear that a number of the other soldiers shared at least a few of her sentiments. If he made a move against the girl, they'd probably all rip him to pieces; public opinion was pointedly against him. He was getting especially hostile glares from a dark haired girl wearing a red scarf. His weapon felt heavy, and his hand started to shake. Though Aline betrayed no satisfaction, she could tell he was at his breaking point. Backed into a corner by his insecurity, there was only one way to end the confrontation without being added to a "missing in action" list. If he was lucky, it'd save him a little face too. He took a deep breath and replaced his sword in its scabbard. He swallowed hard, clearing his throat before he said anything further.

"We're leaving…"

"Excuse me sir?" One of the non commissioned officers asked.

"I said we're leaving. Gather your kits and mount up; we're going to rendezvous with the center column." Nobody moved. "That was an order, not a suggestion troopers let's go!"

"Yes sir!" They all said in unison. There was a collective sigh of relief as the tension eased off. Some of them wiped their brows of sweat, some of them half laughed, most of them were just glad that nobody had to die to resolve the situation. The scouts of third company began untying their mounts and checking their saddlebags.

Elise walked briskly over to Aline and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you out of your mind?" She tried to keep the statement as quiet as possible.

"Maybe I am a little bit, but it worked out the way I'd wanted it to in the end."

"You're lucky that didn't turn ugly, you could've been killed!"

"I had to put some pressure on him, or we'd still be sitting around. I took the chance and he was bluffing. Or at least he thought better of it if he wasn't."

"At least clue me in on it next time then so I can back you up. You scared the heck out of me."

"I had to play things by ear, there was no _real_ plan. All I knew is that I had to get us moving. We have to find the others before it's too late." She climbed up into the saddle and looked back at Elise, smiling sadly. "Sometimes, you need to be willing to throw your own wellbeing out the window for the sake of the one's most important to you. I'd kill and die for those three."

If Elise Nadzieja had come to understand one thing during the month and a half she'd spent alongside the former members of Squad Seven, it was that she'd never met people more devoted to one another in her life. Even going by the standards of soldiers under fire, they were exceptionally close. Maybe one day, she'd be able to share in that bond with them all. She smiled to herself and patted Aline on the shoulder before heading to her own horse.

Sasha was in front of her, checking her side pouches and flares. As Elise approached, the girl momentarily stopped what she was doing and cocked her head slightly. Sasha's a bit of a strange individual, she thought to herself. Always doing something that seemed a little out of the ordinary. It was amusing at first, then slightly puzzling. When she looked back, Sasha's eyes had grown almost three times their size. Her pupils were dilating as well. She screamed.

"EVERYONE, COVER YOUR EARS RIGHT NOW!"

Elise recoiled in surprise. "Wait, what?"

It only took about two seconds for the sound wave to reach them. A piercing shriek, louder and more violent than a banshee assaulted their eardrums. Strangely, it sounded at the same time like a low roar, causing both the air and the ground to vibrate with its' intensity. Every hair on everyone's bodies was standing on end and their skin felt cold and clammy. The noise was painful to listen to and struck at a primal point of dread inside of the soul. Several of the soldiers in the formation collapsed to their knees, trying desperately to keep the noise out. Alex, Freja, and a few others had blood dripping out of their noses. Two men actually started throwing up the sound felt so unnatural. There was one who looked like he was about to have a seizure. Elise could feel pain building in her frontal lobe, her brain pulsating against the inside of her skull. Her vision was starting to blur as the sound fluctuated between both extremes of the audible range. Seconds went by, and the sound went on, like it was trying to crush all of them with its power. Elise saw black forming in the corners of her eyes; she was going to pass out. Darkness closed in around her until only a small area remained visible. Then, the scream began to fade out. Returning to its origin within the trees. The world stopped shaking.

A moment passed before everyone was able to regain their feet and their composure. Elise felt unsteady as she stood, the headache having made her dizzy.

"What in God's name was that?" Erik asked in a shaking voice.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Mikasa stared into the darkness.

Sasha was trembling. "I know that sound. I used to hear it from the forest every night when I was little. Sometimes it still haunts my sleep. Believe me, nothing in the world screams like that except a dying animal. That's the sound of a creature that has absolutely _nothing_ to lose."

"So were those like death throes or something?" Freja Skovgaard asked, wiping the blood away from her nose.

"No…not death throes…the thing that made that sound has been backed into a corner, and it's calling for help…"


	20. Fire in the Sky

None of them could quite fathom what they were seeing. In the wake of the unearthly scream, all of the titans began sprinting through the tree line. The horde that had just seconds before been trying to reach the scouts of third company, had completely forgotten about their existence.

"I'm imagining this right?!" Someone called out.

"Where are they running off to all of a sudden?!"

Armin shouted so that everyone could hear him, the pieces instantly falling together in his mind. "It's the female titan! She must be calling them to her!"

"She can do that?" Jean took a quick glance over his shoulder.

Josh jumped to the next tree ahead of him. "Should we really be surprised at this point? Based on what happened to you guys, I'm more curious about what she _can't_ do."

"It doesn't matter what she's capable of, this group poses a threat to second company and the command squad. We encounter a threat, and we neutralize it, plain and simple." Section commander Nanaba took off into the woods. "Follow me and engage any titans that you can! Move it soldiers!"

Albrecht smiled to himself. Maybe this meant they could kill more of them without incurring casualties of their own. A few dozen more titan corpses to even the score… He took in a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. "WIR SIND DIE JAGER!" And so the Angels of Freedom took flight, their wings carrying them into battle.

The scouts began hitting the titans from the back of the herd and worked forward, slicing and shearing their way through the enemy's midst. Two score pieces of iron struck out in unison, playing the symphony of war. This sound, this melody of combat, rings in the ears of every soldier, from their first battle to their last. So it was now, they were about their task. They cut them down, one, two, three, four, five, and the body count rose every second, but the creatures' still didn't slow to face them. If anything, the remaining ones were going even faster.

Reiner swore. "Damn it, we're falling behind. How are they moving like that?"

"I don't know, but we can't keep this up; we're using a ton of our gas just to maintain our speed." Nanaba said irritably. "All troops hold up! Form a defensive line here, facing outwards. If any more titans come this way, we take them down."

"But, ma'am," Christa held her hand up, "what about the rest of those? There's at least thirty still going toward the center."

"Unfortunately…they're going to be Erwin and Levi's problem now. We won't catch up to them without draining our fuel, and then it wouldn't make a difference if we were there or not. So we hold our current position and stop any more of them that decide to come through." Everyone nodded. Even if it meant things were going to get heavy for the wagon teams, this was the only tactically viable option they had to work with.

It was with great disdain that they watched the enemy recede deeper and deeper into the trees. The figures of massive bodies slowly dissolved until they were indistinguishable from the densely packed wood stock they sprinted among. The soldiers bitterly turned their backs to look the way they had come. Steam rose in thin spires up from the ground where the titans had left their fallen to disintegrate. Almost two dozen all told. Though enemy numbers had been significantly reduced, the fight was over almost as soon as it had begun.

"We went to town on these guys and nothing. It's like they didn't even notice we were there." Josh said, thinking out loud.

Albrecht whispered under his breath, "Today's just full of unpleasant surprises huh?"

"Some of the titans made it past us, but we didn't lose anybody either. We have to appreciate that right? Connie looked around and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, it's the first time we've been able to say that in a while. So we didn't win, and we didn't lose. What exactly are we supposed to think of this as?" Jean said flatly.

"I think…we're going to have to call this one a draw," said Armin. "I just hope that this group was the worst of what's heading in there."

"I want squads separated out and forming staggered lines! Team leaders, you are free to engage at your own discretion! Gunnery team, hurry and get those cannons loaded!" An officer was shouting orders. Titans were bearing down on second company from every possible angle except skywards. The slathering hordes charging in at the beckoning of the she-devil the scouts encircled. There were dozens of them, scores, spewing forth out of the trees as though hell had thrown up all of its' demons in one fell swoop. The enemy host possibly even outnumbered the human soldiers, a rare and terrifying circumstance.

They counted down the interminable seconds that passed as the fell beasts closed on them. Everything about the coming struggle had the makings of a heroic last stand. Outnumbered and surrounded in enemy territory, a handful of brave men and women preparing to fight an obviously losing battle. It was bitterly poetic when you came right down to it. Though, most people would have_ just_ said bitter. Humanity finally starts making headway, only for fate to smack them down into the dirt to continue writhing in agony.

The members of Section Twenty Nine clung firmly to their weapons. Richter Oschatz looked around at the expressions of his comrades. Some were stoic, others angry. Sergeant Iryna was muttering something in her ancestral language.

_"…__i dostavyty nas do pravdy , yak my znovu sunuv u vohonʹ…"_ He had no idea what any of it meant, but the extreme calm she held in spite of the circumstances made him wish he could summon such words. Though, it appeared like someone else already had.

Lieutenant Blasa Tanzerin's voice boomed. "Alright, listen up you bastards; this is going to be one hell of a fight, hard and brutal start to finish. That said, we've faced odds worse than this before and come out kicking and screaming. I don't know about the rest of you, but it'll be a cold day in perdition before these ugly sons of bitches put me in the ground." She turned her head slightly. "So let's put a few more titans on the chopping block. I've itching to get my blades dirty all freaking day!"

She always had that odd sense of swearing laced eloquence when she gave a motivational speech. Those strange and endearingly charismatic bits Blasa would burst forth with to give them all a little extra courage. The way she talked, she sounded more like a hero of legend than a field officer. Though if anyone told her that, she'd probably say hero is a ridiculous pedestal to put someone on, least of all her. Funny enough, in stories it always seemed like the heroes never thought they deserved to be called such. Perhaps…it was because they never wanted to be one.

Their adversaries were close now, the ground trembling at the footfalls of giant feet. Both forces now converged on each other, eager to sunder flesh from bone. And so it begins. The officers led off the counterattack, their troops following close behind as they swung into the titan ranks.

The enemy in turn, ignored them entirely.

"What the hell, they ran right by us?!" Terrelle blinked away his surprise.

The first trio of titans sprinted into the center of the clearing; two fifteen meter variants, and a four meter. Levi, still standing atop the female titan's head quickly dispatched the two taller monstrosities with his blades. The smallest of the three however kept coming forward. Arms stretched out, it grabbed tightly onto the female titan's calve and bit into it. Around the rest of the perimeter, titans rushed right past the scouts as well, heading directly for their captured "queen".

So that was the game then was it? They weren't coming to free her; they were coming to _consume_ her. Commander Erwin had to act quickly.

"All hands commence combat! Vanguard teams, artillery teams, every last one of you, defend the female titan at any cost!"

Those not already airborne engaged their ODM gear and went for any target they could reach. There were more than enough to go around. Like angry hornets protecting their hive, second company lashed out. They went from titan to titan cutting out the napes of their necks with ease. Second company was composed of some of the best scouts in the regiment, and this is what they lived for. Blood and haze filled the air around them as the corpses began collecting in a circle. A mass of dead titans that grew so thick the ground was nigh indistinguishable. Blasa and Levi had each already added several new notches to their lengthy kill counts. Both of them were actually killing faster than the blood could begin steaming off of their weapons. They were like an army unto themselves.

Swing after swing, cut after cut, more and more of the enemy fell, only to be crushed underfoot by several more of their earnest comrades a second later. They were coming faster than the scouts could kill them. The odds against victory were growing every instant despite the soldiers' fury. The slavering creatures tore into the flesh of the female titan with greater gusto than they'd showed the bodies of men. They pulled chunks, limbs, and organs free from her with hand and mouth, dismembering her like some feral tribe of old. The cables that held the captive in place were snapping, unable to bear the excess strain imposed upon them. About a dozen of the things came free as the head was ripped away, along with several segments of spine.

The sight unfolding in the center of the forest could only be described as something approaching madness. Erwin Smith stared on unflinchingly as their carefully laid plans evaporated into the afternoon sky. Whatever triumph they may have achieved here, it was no longer within reach. A spatter of hot blood hits the side of his face, his fists tighten, and he curses under his breath.

"Stand down! All hands withdraw! Gather everything together and signal the rest of the battalion, we're heading back to Karanese!"

Some wanted to protest the order and keep attacking, slaying until nothing remained, but they all knew he was right. There'd be no point in wasting the gas or steel. They Survey Corps had lost this one, plain and simple. Regret and anguish marked the faces of everyone in the clearing, blood misting off of their uniforms and weapons. They'd come close, so unbearably close to a decisive victory, only to have it snatched out from under them at the last moment. It was even more of a nasty mouthful to swallow when they considered what it had cost them to get _this_ far.

Blasa and Levi were especially unhinged by the change of events. Finding their perch next to the commander, they looked at him for some kind of answer. He let out a long sigh and spoke, never once taking his eyes off of the carnage before him.

"We've been bested."

"Don't give me that crap, not now, not yet." Levi wiped some gore from his cheek.

"Think about it…our enemy was prepared to make sacrifices, enormous ones. She was so committed to keeping her secret that she'd rather let herself be cannibalized than exposed."

Blasa gritted her teeth. "So after all the knob polishing for the higher ups, that whole bit you and Levi pulled at Jaeger's court martial, this is what we have to show for it?!"

"Sir, if we run back with our tails between our legs, Eren's going right back into chains, or worse."

"We'll have to jump off of that bridge when we come to it. Right now, our only concern needs to be getting home without taking any more casualties. I just hope the smoke signals can cut through this murk to let the others know we're pulling out. Lieutenant Tanzerin, I want you to gather up the wagons and as many free hands as possible. Head back down the main road and recover as many of our comrades' remains as you can find."

"Yes sir, of course." With that, she departed.

"I'll go and gather up my squad." Levi turned to leave, but the commander held up a hand to stay his departure.

"Not just yet Levi, first replenish your blades and fuel." His eyes scrutinized the scene below, something seemed…off.

"We don't have time for that. I can easily make do with what I have, why do you want me to top off?"

"That's an order captain."

"…Whatever you say—sir; I trust your judgment implicitly."

A funnel of thick grey steam rose into the heavens. Several discharges preceded missiles trailing blue smoke that shot above the treetops to join it. The eyes of third company were drawn to them.

"Blue smoke? I guess that means we're done here. Everybody mount up; we return to the formation at the rally point and head home." Nanaba gave the gesture for the scouts to retrieve their horses.

"So, it's over?" Christa raised an eyebrow.

"Well that was quicker than I expected. The veterans must have really kicked them in the teeth." Josh chuckled.

Gisele awkwardly raised her hand before saying anything. "Does this mean we won?"

Repressing a sense of deep foreboding in the back of his mind, Albrecht allowed a slight smile to adorn his features when he answered her. "Yeah…I think it just might." Gisele tried to look like she wasn't staring at him, a light crimson hue kissing her cheeks.

"OH THANK GOD!" Connie said rather loudly, his voice betraying just how happy he was to leave. Though they were still processing it, the others breathed a visible sigh of relief. The lot of them left their impromptu defensive line and rushed back to the edge of the woods, feeling completely content for the first time in hours.

"I can't wait to see who was inside that thing." Jean said while going through his saddlebags. "People are gonna be lining up to kick her ass."

"I'm more interested in answers than payback personally." Said Albrecht, mostly to himself. He'd been going for weeks now on nothing more than cryptic messages and bad dreams, and he was eager to have something concrete to take hold of.

"I don't care who it is really, or why they did it. We caught her, and that's a huge step towards finishing all this." Josh looked westwards, in the direction of the wall. "I'm that much closer to coming back to you. I won't keep you waiting very long Annie, I promise."

Ymir smacked him on the back as she walked by. "That was cheesy as hell Kassmeyer. Do you ever talk like a normal human being?"

"Do **you** ever speak in a non-passive aggressive tone?"

"Eh, yeah a few times a day. I don't know, I thought that was part of my charm?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure it is."

"Oh shove it, Christa thinks I'm charming. Isn't that right?" She looked pointedly at the small blonde girl.

"Well Ymir, I think you're very sweet in your own way." Though it was just a characteristically kind comment on Christa's part, it sounded as sweet as an "I love you" to Ymir who immediately went to hug her.

Albrecht was watching from a few yards away, untying his horse. Gisele, still less a mount, was standing next to him. "I swear, if those two ever end up together, I think every guy on the planet is going to cry for two hours." He snorted.

"Does um…that include you?" She asked rather meekly.

"Huh, me? No not at all. Christa is like family to me, that'd be really weird to have a crush on her."

Gisele brightened noticeably and stepped a little closer to him. "So…do you have any girls that you like if not her?" the look on her face made the intent behind her question horrendously apparent. Despite himself, Albrecht flushed and turned away from her.

"Um, well I don't really know, maybe. I haven't really spent a lot of time thinking about that kind of stuff lately. But I…I definitely think there's a girl out there for me." The answer tumbled out of his mouth. His earlier conversation with Josh and Christa having caused him to take greater notice of the way Gisele had been behaving. It had been awkward enough before he'd started reading into it like they were. What had he gotten himself into by rescuing this girl? She can't possibly _actually_ have a crush on him, could she? I mean, they barely knew each other; you can't have feelings for someone you don't know…can you?

His ears perked up at the sound of displaced air, pulling him back from his reflection. Another signal discharge. He caught a glimpse of it through a space between tree branches. Something about it felt wrong. Command had just sent out blue signals to order the withdrawal, so why was this one green? The location of the rising plume was odd as well, too far to the south to have come from the command squad. So who had fired it, and who was it intended for? What Albrecht found most unsettling though, was that, for the first time in over a month, Sergeant Tanzerin wasn't saying a word.

"Hey Alb, we're moving out, you coming or what?"

"Yeah…I'm coming." He stole another glance at the patch of sky before climbing up into his saddle, offering his hand to Gisele so she could hoist herself in behind him. As they began the ride to regroup with the rest of the unit, he continued peering over his shoulder. His expression was hard.

"I don't mean to be nosy, but what's bothering you?" Gisele asked after a moment or two.

"Whatever's going on here isn't over."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"This whole business with the female titan, I have a feeling it's about to get ugly again."

"But we're heading back, that means it's taken care of doesn't it?"

He lowered his voice as much as he could. "I overheard Armin talking earlier, about how the female titan is someone like Eren who can transform, maybe even someone we went to the academy with. If that's the case, whoever it is followed us out here, or worse, was waiting for us; probably to try and get their hands on Eren. They'd have had to carefully plan everything out for that to happen. It could've been weeks or months. With all the effort put in, I don't think that such a person would allow themselves to be taken willingly or easily into custody. They're still out there, dead set on achieving whatever mission they have. No matter what they have to do, or who they have to kill. You mark my words."

"So we're done, after all the crazy crap that's been going on today, it's over, just like that?" Erik was confused, and still none of them knew what was actually going on. Had they won, had they lost, or had something else transpired entirely? After all of the screaming that they'd heard and the cannon fire, things were uncomfortably quiet by comparison. In a warzone, that never boded well for the men and women in uniform.

"I think this is far from over. Whatever happened in there, whatever nightmare brought forth that unearthly noise is still out there. You heard what Sasha said before, **nothing** screams like that except an animal that's been backed into a corner. _This_ animal won't have given up so quickly." Aline said darkly.

"Can't we just be optimistic and hope for that it has?" Alex offered, despite being almost certain she was going to say no. "I'm not trying to shirk my duty or anything, but I don't think looking for trouble is the best idea."

"We're not looking for trouble, once we link up with the others, we're outta here. Maybe we can get some answers too while we're at it. If anything comes up afterwards, we'll have safety in numbers. Stick together, stay alive."

"Sounds like the best advice I've heard all day." Erik smiled.

"Yeah, I'm not keen on sticking around this place much longer myself." Sasha said, her eyes on the forest. There wasn't a soul who disagreed with that statement.

First company's column was close to the main road again, where the formation had divided up before. They'd made it back around to the front of the woods. About two kilometers away, it was possible to discern a cluster of riders heading westwards. There was no mistake that it was their "long lost" comrades, making for the rendezvous point. Thankfully, blessedly, there were also no titans behind or in the vicinity of third company's cohort. It was impossible to tell who was among them from this distance, but Aline felt a weight lift off of her soul. The fact that there was still a group to be had on the right flank was a good sign. Though it had her full attention, something less…joyous had attracted the eyes of a few others. The officer momentarily pulled the troop to a halt.

"Damn…" Freja, Alex, and Erik said in unison. Along the cobbled avenue leading to the heart of the timberland, a few score corpses were littered in bloody smears across the ground. Some of them hang in pieces from the canopy, vitae dripping intermittently.

"What in God's name happened here?" A sergeant said quietly. There were so many of them, smashed, bisected, broken bodies lying discarded.

Elise cast her eyes across them all. "What could have done this? Titans never leave so many uneaten in their wake."

"Titans? This looks more like the work of some _demon_. Whatever did this ruthlessly butchered these people and just moved on." Someone said without humor.

"We're going to be writing a lot of letters when we get back…and we were under-strength already." So this is what had taken place while the men and women of first company had been "guarding" the left flank. It looked like Aline had been right after all, to a much greater extent than anyone wanted to believe. It was as though the grim reaper had just waded through the scouts, gleefully harvesting their souls from their bodies like wheat from chaff.

They sat in silence, no one quite able to come up with any more words at the moment. To the former cadets, the visage was just as, if not more sobering than what they had seen in Trost. What made matters even more depressing was that there were no enemy remains among the fallen. Dozens had been massacred without inflicting so much as a single kill against the force opposing them. That didn't seem possible, these were all troops of veteran status, survivors of numerous expeditions beyond the walls. The only way that could make _any_ sense, was if they were facing a single opponent. That, in itself, was an even more ludicrous assumption. No way one titan was able to wreak this much havoc, they didn't have the speed, stamina, reflexes, or intelligence to lay low so many soldiers. You'd have to be a special type, like the Colossal, or the Armored, or Eren. Like Eren…

It clicked, slowly but surely, and they realized just how egregiously in the dark they'd been up to now.

A rumbling reached the ears of the scouts. It was low, heavy, and unsettlingly familiar. The air developed a nasty metallic taste and hairs stood on end. That was followed directly by the sky itself catching fire. A sickly yellow bolt of lightning arcing from the clouds into the trees as an explosive blast sent a rush of wind out in every direction. Everyone froze. Everyone except Mikasa.

She uttered a single word before wheeling her mount. "Eren…" She rushed in the direction of the phenomenon at full gallop, her eyes sharp as the steel at her hips.

"Ackerman get your ass back here!" An officer called out. She didn't acknowledge him. "Damn it, somebody go after her before she does something stupid!" None of those present seemed keen on volunteering for the task. Mikasa was scary enough when she had her mind set on something, but add the threat of the murderous creature lying within the shadowed woods and you won't find many willing participants.

Aline looked after the speeding woman for a moment. She turned her eyes towards the members of third company, still receding into the haze of the prairie sun, and looked back into the forest. "Aw hell…" She clenched her fists and turned her steed, dashing after Mikasa. "I really don't need this right now!"

"Aline?!" Elise shouted. "Wait up!" She peeled away from the column, Alex, Freja, Erik, and Sasha resolving to do the same after a few seconds. They wore anxious expressions. They were just about to get out of here and _now_ Mikasa pulls this stunt. Just running off by yourself, skilled warrior or not was idiotic, it didn't matter how much she was in love with Eren.

Aline had to catch up with her before she reached her destination, wherever that happened to be. Way easier said than done since she was flying down the road like a bat out of hell. She was possessed of a single minded will, and it might take more than six recruits to stop her. Why did this have to happen all of a sudden? They were on their way out. Why did people have to lose their damn common sense?

"So do you actually have a plan this time?!" Elise shouted as she pulled up, the others right on her tail.

"Stop her by any means; I don't care if we have to tackle her off of that horse."

"No offense, but I'm not exactly fond of the second part." Alex said. "I'd almost rather fight whatever did all this." He gestured to the gore spattered road.

"Not in the mood for jokes right now Alex." Aline gave her mount a couple more spirited kicks.

"What in the world makes you think I'm joking?! Have you ever seen what happens to people who piss her off?!" His voice cracked.

"She can only be pissed off if she's alive…" Her tone was suddenly soft. She looked the five of them, her anxiety plain. Their eyes in turn, went to Alex.

"You don't have to give me that look alright? I never said I wouldn't help. Just wanted you to be aware, she's not going to be too happy about this, regardless of our intentions."

"As long as we catch her, I can deal with any fallout that comes with it."

"Then we might want to get the gears spinning faster, because she just sped up again." Sasha pointed. Their coal-haired comrade was receding into the distance.

"Alright then, here's the strategy. I'll try and get in front of her with Elise, Alex, Erik, you get on her flanks. Freja, Sasha, get in behind her. Once she's surrounded, we'll make the grab. With any luck, nobody will get hurt over this." It was simple and uncomplicated. None of them questioned or argued their own positions, or Aline's decision to take command. Though, the horses might protest the speeds at which they were about to force on them.

There was a whispered word between each soldier and their mount, mostly apologies for what was going to follow.

Boot heels dug into the heaving sides of the equine beasts, hooves in turn slammed against the ground to propel rider and steed forward at an ever increasing pace. Breath came in labored snorts as they worked to do their master's will. The six recruits raised themselves slightly above their saddles and leant forward, taking as much weight off of the horses spines as they could. Anything to add to their acceleration was welcome.

Despite how hard they were riding however, gaining ground on Mikasa was slow going. Luckily she was at least sticking to the road; it'd be a much bigger pain in the ass to chase her using their gear. That and they'd probably lose her as well. Her skill at maneuvering was ahead of most everyone's by leaps and bounds. Still, it shouldn't come to that. They were making increasing progress with each passing second. If they kept at it for another minute or two, that should put them in range. Aline snapped the reins and got lower, her profile barely above the head of her mount.

"Come on Seris, you got this. Just keep it up for mama a little bit longer." She whispered. The horse made a grunting sound and bobbed its' head, seeming to understand. Christa had helped them all with animal training at the academy. She'd put emphasis on how to bond with their steeds seeing as they both relied on one another in the field. The assistance had paid off more than any had imagined. A fact that Aline was becoming increasingly aware of as the gap between her and Mikasa narrowed at an increasing rate.

Closer…closer…closer, just a couple of meters now and they'd start to overtake her. The six of them started splitting up to get around her. Aline watched as the others slipped into place and gave Seris one last nudge to pull ahead of her target. They closed the net, leaving almost no space for Mikasa to move around.

"What are you all doing?" She asked venomously.

"Keeping you from doing something you might regret."

"I have to go help Eren."

"All by yourself? That's not going to end well, even for someone with your level of skill. On top of that, rushing blind into a situation is exactly the kind of thing you'd chastise _him_ for." Elise's voice sounded both critical and concerned.

"If you came to take me back, forget it. I'm going to him and that's non-negotiable; out of my way."

Aline narrowed her eyes. "I figured as much. Erik, Alex, grab her, she needs a few minutes to calm down." As soon as the two young men reached for her however, she had jumped up from the saddle and drawn her handles. She fired one of her anchors into a nearby tree.

Just before she hit the acceleration, Sasha and Freja took hold of her legs in an attempt to hold her in place. Undeterred, she began reeling in anyway, pulling herself and the two girls up with her. Alex and Erik in turn grabbed onto them in an effort to weigh Mikasa down. She depressed her triggers even tighter in response, sending out a burst of spent vapor from the shaft on her lower back. In spite of the combined weight of four others, she started elevating again. Aline cursed under her breath and nodded at Elise. The two of them engaged their own equipment and sought the anchor point Mikasa had found in the tree. While she was otherwise occupied with the hangers-on, using their swords, they popped the pronged implement out from the wood.

Coupling the excess weight with the loss of tension, she fell back to the ground immediately, ripping up a patch of unkempt grass as the five person blob skidded to a halt. Though the impact was jarring, they managed to hold onto her.

"Damn it, get off of me!"

"If we did that you'd just take off again." Erik said, pinning her arm. Aline and Elise dropped back down from the tree trunk, taking a knee.

"You need to take a moment to calm the hell down; you're being completely irrational."

"I have to go and protect Eren! I'm the only one who can!" She squirmed around under the grip of her captors. "Don't make me hurt you guys; I don't want to have to do that!"

"Mikasa please, we're doing this for your own good. You aren't thinking straight right now." Sasha pleaded.

"Eren is in trouble, and he needs me!"

Aline looked her in the eye. "I get you want to protect the man you love, but if you charge in there, letting your emotional reaction control you, you're going to wind up wounded or worse."

"How many times do I have to say, it isn't like that?! Also, if Josh, Albrecht, or Christa were in there right now, you'd go through anything to get to them! Go ahead and tell me that I'm wrong!"

"Of course I would, but getting myself killed on the way wouldn't help anything."

"After what you pulled with the officer back there, that's the last piece of advice I'd expect from you." Alex looked over at her, mildly surprised.

"Alex, this isn't the time." She grunted.

"I would have had your back for that, so why won't you have my back here?" Mikasa snarled.

"Nobody said we wouldn't, but you ran off alone in a panic." Elise said with a sigh.

Struggling to keep hold of Mikasa's writhing leg, Freja spoke up. "I don't know what you're so worried about. Eren is with Captain Levi and the Special Operations Squad, in addition to his titan form, I doubt he could be any better protected than that."

There was another loud rumbling. It shook the ground for several seconds before splitting the sky open again. The flash of static discharge was followed by a bestial roar. Everyone's attention was drawn in the originating direction.

"There's another one?!" Alex squeaked.

"That sounds a hell of a lot like Eren." Elise exclaimed.

Freja raised her eyebrows. "But, if that's Eren, then who was responsible for the lightning bolt we saw earlier?!" She looked around hoping someone else had something to offer on the subject. They all just looked off into the distance, uncertainty paired with beads of sweat on their faces. What was going on here?

Their surprise ended up providing Mikasa with the opening she so desperately sought. Using their distraction, she kicked out with her feet, pushing Sasha and Freja off of her. Simultaneously, she threw her shoulders back, sending her elbows into Alex and Erik's guts; they fell backwards, and she leapt onto her feet. She brought her handles to bear in the same instant. Elise was swept off of her feet as Mikasa brought her arms up, preparing to take off.

Aline grabbed her by the arm. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you leave, especially after that."

"Then I hope you can forgive me for this." Mikasa turned and punched her in the face, sending Aline and her vision spinning. The blow felt like an iron hammer, and the taste of copper began seeping into her mouth. Though she couldn't see it, there was the telling sound of Mikasa flying away on her gear, leaving the six of them dazed in her wake. She fought to stay standing, and even attempted to give pursuit, but stumbled, face first, into the dirt the second she tried running. The others didn't seem to be faring very well either.

Erik and Alex were coughing and spluttering, working to get their wind back. Sasha and Freja clutched at their sides, ribs potentially bruised. Elise seemed to be the best off out of them, having only been knocked down. Though, she did appear to have hurt her back.

Aline shakily rose, having to steady herself on one of the trees to keep upright. She spit out a mouthful of viscera and partially wiped the stream away from her possibly broken nose. Her vision started resolving itself, the world coming back into focus. By the time it did, she couldn't see, or even hear Mikasa anymore. She slammed one of her fists against the tree trunk.

"Ghe gok asay…Gobbammit!" The words came out slurry. That punch had done a real number on her nose. She sighed and turned to face her comrades. "Air yoe gise alripe?"

"Yeah," Erik stood up. "I think we're a lot better off than you at the moment. That looks pretty bad."

"Dob wery aboat me. Lucks werbs tan it is. Eleze, can yoe helb me ouk hure?" She beckoned her squad mate over. She couldn't likely set the nose by her own hand; the immense pain would prevent her from doing so, at least at the speed she wanted it to be fixed anyway. At least if Elise did it, it'd be quicker. Then maybe she'd stop sounding like she was piss drunk.

Elise took hold of Aline's face, placing her thumbs on opposite sides above her, still bleeding, nostrils. Elise seemed hesitant at first, concerned about causing her friend anymore pain. Aline placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. She began applying pressure, and the cartilage shifted beneath her thumbs until there was an audible "crack". Aline's eyes were watering and she bit back a reactive string of volatile swear words.

"Th—thank you. I really—needed that. Now come on, we've got to go after her."

"We won't be able to catch up, you know that. She's got a good two minute lead on us." Alex groaned. "I told you she was going to kick our asses."

"He's right." Sasha grunted as she stood up. "Even if we used half of our gas we couldn't make to her in time."

Aline kicked a rock. "Well isn't this a bunch of shit?"

Freja smiled weakly, walking several meters in the direction their comrade had taken off. She planted her feet and stared up into the intertwined mass of branches. "At least we tried. I'm surprised we managed to keep her down as long as we did." On any other day, that would have been a grand achievement. Six on one odds were considered unfair if Mikasa was fighting you. Talk was, that when Eren had first revealed his titan form, members of the Garrison were going to execute him. Mikasa had dared them to try it, offering her blades in defense of her precious adopted sibling. This she'd done in the face of a hundred or so troops, armed with swords, muskets, and even a wall mounted cannon. She probably could have taken them all on too.

"Yeah…but _trying_ doesn't count on the battlefield. We let ourselves lose focus and she took full advantage."

"No use in moping about it. All we can do now is get back to the company and hope the special ops guys can rein her in when she shows up." Erik put his hands in his pockets.

"This is going to be loads of fun to explain." Alex muttered. "Only thing that would be more embarrassing is if we had to walk back."

"I really want you to stop talking like that man. It's that kind of language that gets you jinxed. It's like when somebody says 'things can't get any worse'. You just don't do that."

"Geez, you've really been drilling me today; who pissed in your breakfast?"

"Keep your panties on Mr. Sensitive. I'm just giving you some constructive criticism, lighten up."

"Well someone's getting on a high horse all of a sudden."

"Save it until we're safely among the rest of the battalion please." Elise stepped between them. She couldn't blame them for sniping at one another. To say that they were on edge would have been a gross understatement. Their understanding of scout-hood was changing minute by minute, and it was stressful at best, maddening at worst. It was strange how commonplace things like this had become in just the last month, and some change. Based on the lives they'd become forced to live, it was easy to forget just how young they all were. A bunch of kids coming to terms with the insanity of war and the ever present threat of agonizing death; it was a grim world to call home sometimes.

Having Elise mediate seemed to do the trick for the moment. Alex and Erik simultaneously exhaled, their tempers cooling. "Let's just go find our horses, guys." The latter said offhandedly, striding off in the direction of the road. The rest of them nodded and followed suit, trudging along somewhat wearily. They stamped through a thick patch of brush and scrub, one which they had been carried above prior to their altercation.

Upon reaching the blood-soaked boulevard, they found their mounts in much better condition than _they_ currently were. The beasts stood, as if patiently awaiting their passengers' return. Mikasa's seemed to have vanished however, and Freja's was gone as well, neither of them anywhere within sight or hearing. A rather unfortunate circumstance for the ashen haired scout. Not the end of the world, but nonetheless aggravating.

"Don't worry Frej, you can ride back with me." Sasha turned. Though she was confused that Freja didn't answer her, she was even more confounded by the fact that she wasn't behind her, or anywhere for that matter. "Hey guys, where'd Freja go?"

"She was right behind me a minute ago? At least I think she was." Elise scratched her head.

Alex smacked his forehead in disbelief. "Did we **really** lose her too? How does that happen? We walked what, a hundred and fifty feet, maybe less?" The five of them looked around, calling her name. At first they joked about it, laughing it off as her having bad sense of direction. Erik even offered to hold her hand next time they went anywhere. Then they thought she was perhaps hiding, playing an ill timed, if well meant, practical joke. She was in a bush, waiting to jump out and scare them. Every possible neutral scenario went through their heads as they listened for her reply, or sought the point where she would emerge from the foliage. Though, when the lack of response continued, their voices became tinged with unease. She wouldn't be so far away that she couldn't hear them. They hadn't covered enough distance for that to be possible. The quintet wandered back into the brush, shouting her name in increasingly worried tones.

They spread out, hoping that combing the area more widely would reveal her presence. Several minutes of searching yielded nothing, even when they passed by the scene of the recent scuffle. How could someone disappear in the span of a moment or two? More importantly, how had her absence managed to elude their notice as long as it had? It was as though she'd wisped into smoke and been spirited away on the wind.

Alekzander Zielinski trampled small bushes and pressed through the undergrowth, looking almost frantically for some kind of trace of the missing girl. Though, the further he penetrated into the dense grasses and briers, the results were the same; nothing, nothing, and more nothing. He didn't want to give up, but it was starting to look like she was nowhere to be found. Even if there wasn't any sense in such a statement. He thought of the lightning strikes they had seen, the unearthly shrieking they had heard earlier, and he shivered. A cold sensation was creeping in over every inch of his body, threatening to consume his thoughts with the stuff of nightmares. Alex clutched at his weapons for comfort. In an effort to summon up a few more ounces of courage, he began inwardly reciting an oath they had been taught after joining the Survey Corps. _"I am a scout. I am the mighty sword in humanity's hand, carving a path towards a brighter future. I am freedom, the deep rooted desire of the human spirit to make real our dreams. I am a warrior, standing ready to combat the foes of mankind. I am apart from the norm, one of a brave few willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of all people. I am strong, I have heart, steel, and courage. I am devoted, I am loyal, I am…I am…I am…" _Those two words kept repeating themselves over and over and over again as he lacked the faculty to find any others. It was in this moment that he desperately wished that he could go back to the nightmares in his thoughts, instead of the one in front of him.

In the midst of his inner monologue he had passed through a cluster of thick brush, and into a small clearing. On the far side of it, a titan, ten meters or so in height, clawed at the base of one of the forest's massive trees. A handful of meters above the creature's head, impaled through the abdomen from the back, and spilling copious amounts of blood and entrails onto the titan's upturned face, was the corpse of Freja Skovgaard. Her face was contorted into an expression of unimaginable terror, frozen as though she was silently screaming.

Alex had to hold in a gag as he felt stinging bile rise into the back of his mouth. He tried to peel his eyes away from Freja's mangled body, but found he could not, mesmerized by the grotesque display. He wasn't even capable of closing his eyes. They just forced him to stare harder the more he fought. _"Stop it—stop it, stop it! Don't make me look anymore!"_ His whole body quivered like jelly, so badly his equipment also shook. Why couldn't he turn from the sight; why _wouldn't_ he turn from it? What's more, he couldn't rationalize what he was looking at. No matter how he tried, there was no way to fathom, how, when, or why this had happened. There'd been no sounds of an engagement, or of an approaching titan. Where was the reasoning in this?!

Internally, the frustration built to agonizing levels, coupled with feelings of immense horror. Everything inside his mind was fracturing, down to the deepest levels. Unable to contain his rapidly disintegrating sanity any longer, Alex screamed.

The titan slowly turned in his direction, intrigued by the sound of fresh, living, meat. It's face was fixed in a disturbing grin, only made more so by the gore that liberally coated it. The creature stepped slowly, methodically toward the young soldier. Alex still found himself unable to move. All he could do was scream.

Aline whipped around, hearing the high pitched cries of her comrade in the distance. She broke into a run, hoping the others were within earshot, and doing the same. She couldn't imagine what he was seeing to make him shrill like that. Titans were more than cause for dread and concern, but this kind of reaction begged something more. She really hoped that he hadn't found Freja, though she felt in her gut that such hope was in vain.

Erik was sprinting forward in a panic, disregarding any and all thoughts aside from reaching the source of the screams. Sweat rolled off of his face like water during a shower. Why had he left his best friend alone? Why, had any of them thought that splitting up would be a good idea? So worried had they been about Freja, that they threw caution out the window. Separating was the last thing they should have even considered. He realized this more every second, and he noticed the increasingly pungent smell of fresh blood. He prayed that it wasn't Alex's, though he felt like the praying might have been in vain. Why did he have to be so far away? If only the scrub wasn't so thick, he could make use of his gear to reach his friend. All he was able to do presently was run, harder and faster than he ever had in his life. He could hear his heart pounding like an earthquake in his chest. Wait…why would his heart cause the ground to shake?

The titan had the young soldier in its grasp, lifting him steadily off of the ground. Alex had finally managed to get his body moving again. Though, it was only after he'd been taken hold of, so all he could do was thrash about in the grip of his enemy. He wished that he'd taken his out his blades before stumbling upon this place, the handles and gear were all but useless with no way to cut himself out. The regret built as he was pulled closer to the creature's mouth. What a stupid, worthless way to end it all. Going down without being able to fight back, how pathetic. Fear had been allowed to paralyze him and now, he was creeping towards the gaping jaws of death. He could hear malicious whispers taking form in the back of his mind. Words that he'd never heard before, but somehow sounded familiar. _"Omnes, qui vivimus, iam inter mortuos."_ The titan squeezed him tighter.

Elise and Sasha were the first to make it into the clearing. When they burst out of the surrounding scrub, Alex was already being pushed into the titan's mouth, head first. His cries of terror were muffled by the enclosed space, like he was screaming through a cloth gag.

The two of them hadn't a second to lose if he was going to have even a remote chance of surviving. They sprinted towards the towering foe. There was no time to strategize. One strike was likely all they'd have to take the titan down. Fortunately Sasha was already on top of that.

She engaged her maneuvering equipment and targeted the nape without missing a beat. A hunter by nature and birth, Sasha Braus had always been quick on her feet when her prey was in sight. The satisfying sound of metal cleaving meat followed, and the titan's eyes rolled up into its' skull. The creature slumped back, dead. Sasha landed on the ground neat as you please, swords steaming. For the first time, it was abundantly clear to Elise why Sasha had, despite her airheaded personality and habits, made it into the top ten of their class. She'd managed to kill the enemy before Elise even had time to utilize her own gear.

Freed at the last moment, Alex dropped from the creature's maw, covered in saliva, but otherwise miraculously unharmed. He rose to his knees, shaking and hyperventilating. That was a lot closer to death than he ever wanted to be again.

"Alex, are you alright?" Sasha asked him.

"Ye—yeah, I'm—I'm okay." That wasn't entirely true, but he was alive at least.

"Did you find Freja?"

"Yeah, I did…" He whispered and gestured upwards. Her body still dangled above them, legs swinging gently back and forth in a cross breeze. Elise and Sasha grimaced. Alex sat down, pulling his knees against his chest. Frightened tears were streaking down his face.

"We were too late…" The former sighed heavily, glancing over at the decomposing titan. "I guess he found her first huh?" She hadn't known Freja very well, aside from classes, but the death of yet another member of the 104th felt unfair. Too many of them had fallen a month ago to think anything else. For her to die on their first mission beyond the walls seemed like the punch line to a bad joke. The deaths they had seen thus far today were all similar in that regard. There was no pitched battle out here, no glory, just a slaughter. Nobody said anything for a while. The only sound was the hiss of evaporating steam.

A moment later, Aline at last burst forth from the bushes. Breathless, she joined the melancholy trio. It took her about two seconds to get a read on the situation. Her suspicions had been regrettably correct. It appeared that they'd only arrived a couple of minutes too late, based on the others' forlorn expressions. Those short moments had been the difference between life and death for many. She recalled a squad of Garrison soldiers in Trost that had suffered such a fate. Though, this one felt much worse. She looked up at their deceased comrade; it was such a waste of a promising young life.

She asked Sasha and Elise to help take the body down. It would be shameful to leave Freja here. It was bad enough already that she'd died alone.

They pulled and pushed the corpse as gently as they could to avoid damaging it further. Despite the need for delicacy, it was hard to ignore the wet, sucking sound that sliding her down the tree branch made. The smell wasn't pleasant either, but they had to power through it. They were about half way done when Sasha perked up her ears and snapped her head over to the east.

"Hey, are you alright; what's up?" Elise asked.

"There are more titans coming."

"How many and how close are they?" Aline drew one of her swords.

"It sounds like almost a dozen of them, and very close, just on the other side of that cluster of trees. And…there's something else coming ahead of them."

"What is it?"

No sooner had she asked, Erik Grunewald came barreling into the clearing, stumbling over himself. There was a large gash across his forehead, and his uniform was torn in several places. Blood was leaking out below his ribs. The fact that he was still running around meant he probably had adrenaline pumping through his body like crazy. He looked around frantically, catching sight of his comrades. He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"RUN!"

At first they just stared at him, surprised and shocked at his condition. "Erik, what happened to you?" Aline raised her eyebrows.

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE FOR GOD'S SAKE; IT'S COMING!" He unsheathed his blades and turned on heel. Thunderous footfalls shook the earth, and the tops of smaller trees could be seen toppling over. He'd been outrunning it for the last few minutes, but the escape wasn't exactly a clean getaway. He glanced over his shoulder as he backed up. They were still staring at him like he was crazy. Why were they still there? Why weren't they running like he'd told them to?! "DAMN IT GUYS, DO YOU _WANT_ TO DIE?!"

"What the hell is out there?"

"Do I **really** need to explain; does it even matter?!" He gestured at the falling trees.

"We need to do as he says." Sasha was shaking again. She had that look on her face like before, with that unholy screaming they'd heard.

"Are you kidding me? We're going to leave Freja here after we just promised to bring her back with us?!" Elise stammered.

Sasha grabbed her by the shoulders, eyes twitching. "Listen to me. Freja is gone and we don't have enough time to finish freeing her. Whatever is knocking down those trees is something we can't fight, especially if there's another group of titans coming behind it. If we have a chance, we'll come back for her later, but for now we have to leave." Elise was about to protest, but Aline stayed her.

"Sadly, she's right. Under the circumstances we can't do any more. You two go get the horses, I'll grab Alex." Elise hesitated, but acquiesced. Debating it would just waste any valuable time they had remaining to them. With a sense of grim determination, she and Sasha took off to the north, back in the direction of the road. Aline dropped down to shake Alex off. She had to do a little more than shake him before he snapped out of whatever stupor he was in. "Come on kiddo, we're getting out of here before we end up on the lunch menu."

His nerve was still little more than shattered entirely. "I just, yeah, okay—what...what about Freja?" He said weakly.

"We're coming back for her, don't worry." She hauled him onto his feet, knowing that was probably a lie. "Erik, let's go!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" He was already running over to them, fingers on his triggers. It would be a lot easier to get away using their rigs.

"I gotta say, you look like you've been through the grinder. We'll have to get the combat medics to patch you up." Aline said when he reached her.

"I'd say 'you should see the other guy' but I really don't want you to see him." He wiped some of the blood from his face with his sleeve.

There was a tremendous crashing, and Aline and Erik looked to their right. A hulking abnormal, at least twenty meters in height, came charging out of the brush on all fours, grunting heavily. Its' jaws snapped repeatedly as it caught sight of the three humans. The other titans wouldn't be far behind him. So that was their cue to leave. They loosed their anchors into the nearest, and tallest, pieces of timber that they could find, liberating themselves from gravity. They sped towards the tree line, and safety. Such was the hope.

It quickly became clear that something was very wrong. Alex's gear reeled him in approximately thirty feet before it ceased pulling. He dropped back into the dirt with a thud. He got on his feet and tried again while at a run. He used every trigger combination he could think of, but empty metallic "clicks" were all that answered his demand. The cause became clear when he reached around to check his fans. The mechanism centered on his spine was dented, and a crack was on the motor. It must have become damaged when the titan had squeezed him before. He was stuck on the ground. That boundless fear began taking hold again. "Erik!" He cried out.

He and Aline looked back. Noticing right away what had happened, they whipped around. Alex was sprinting toward them, the massive titan giving chase. The motors on their gear spun furiously as they fully depressed the acceleration.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, work with me, go faster you POS." Erik spoke as if pleading would will the machine to work harder than its function allowed.

Alex peeked over his shoulder and instantly regretted it. The titan was a lot closer than before, almost close enough to feel its breath at his back. He was going as fast as his body was capable of moving, but he still couldn't outrun it on foot. Aline and Erik were still a good thirty yards out. Inwardly, Alex began screaming again. _"I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I DON'T WANT TO DIE! _GUYS, I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" The last statement, he vocalized.

"Give me your hand!" Erik shouted, reaching out his own as he closed the last portion of the gap between them. "I've got you man!" He could see the tears cascading down his friend's features as he took hold. Erik switched hooks the moment Alex had his arm, pulling them in the other direction. They'd made it just in time. That made twice in the last fifteen minutes that his comrades had saved his life. A fact he would gladly let them tease him about for the next thousand years if they wanted to. His latched onto Erik's shoulder with his other hand, breathing an exasperated sigh of relief as he could no longer feel earth beneath his boots. He started laughing nervously, cackling even at how close he had come.

Death however, would not be denied his due, and neither would the titan. Only an instant after the two of them had left the ground, the monster lashed out. Its' massive jaws closed rapidly, taking every part of Alekzander Zielinski from the chest down with them. His expression was one of pain, shock, and primal terror as he felt his body being ripped in half.

Erik could feel his friend's vital fluids spilling down his back. Aline looked on, horrified. Both of them quivered like newborns. In the thirty or so following seconds that it took him to expire, Alex didn't scream, he didn't speak, he didn't move. All he did was cry. There was no sound to accompany it, just a flood of massive tears and this look on his face that drifted skywards, as if asking "why?" Even when he passed however, he didn't let go of his childhood friend.

The space between them and the pursuing titan rapidly expanded. At full speed, the clumsy beast couldn't match the pace they kept. Within a minute or so, they touched down on the forest road once more, where Sasha and Elise were waiting for them. Upon seeing Alex, the both of them broke down in tears. Erik stumbled over to his horse and mounted it with the remains still on his back. Aline bit her knuckle, holding back sobs as she climbed into the saddle. Here they were, just a bunch of kids, trying to come to terms with the insanity of war, and the ever-present threat of death. Why did this have to happen? Where was the sense in them dying as they did? What could have led these two bright and cheerful people to such horrific and brutal deaths? How did they end up here?

This was _her _fault. If Mikasa hadn't run off, if she'd have been more reasonable, thought of how her actions might affect the rest of them…_maybe_ Freja and Alex would be, **no **they **definitely** would still be alive. She'd thrown everyone else's wellbeing out the window to go after Eren. If it wasn't for her recklessness, if she'd have just stopped and listened to them, none of this would have happened. Hot, angry tears stung Aline's cheeks. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and snarled. She shook with rage, thrusting her face to the sky and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"DAMN YOU MIKASA ACKERMAN!"


	21. Our Shattered Wings

It was a full hour before what remained of the battalion was able to regroup at the rally point. Any notions of victory that they had previously entertained, were quickly dashed by bad news and the large collection of corpses lining the ground. The female titan, along with whoever had been inside of her, had escaped Commander Erwin's meticulously detailed trap and continued their rampage. Some of the best soldiers in the regiment had fallen prey to her wrath. On top of that, she'd nearly made off with Eren Jaeger. If not for the courageous actions of Captain Levi and Mikasa Ackerman, they would have lost their trump card as well. Eren's survival however was a small consolation in the wake of all the other losses that day. A number of those scouts who remained alive lifted the canvas wrapped bodies onto the now empty supply wagons. Among the dozens of fallen scouts were the members of the Special Operations Squad.

The half eaten remains of Alekzander Zielinski lay next to them. Erik Grunewald still crouched over his best friend, sobbing quietly. Even when the medics came to clean and dress his wounds, even as they loaded the dead soldier into one of the wagons, Erik never let go of Alex's hand. The bodies of Freja Skovgaard, Corvin Etter, and several other scouts, had been deemed unrecoverable, either due to location, or the fact that they wasn't enough left of them to bring home. Erwin had ordered that those soldiers would be listed as missing in action.

Josh Kassmeyer stood on a rise overlooking the position, his journal in one hand, and Ritter's reins in the other. A hollow feeling filled his breast. He was still taking the afternoon in. The arrival of grim tidings dampened even his most pleasant thoughts. The former members of the 104th Cadet Corps had set out this morning with twenty. They were returning to friendly territory with three dead, and several more wounded, including Aline and Erik. Why had things saddening gone so wrong? Cruel fate had twisted a powerful victory into a crushing failure. They had nothing to show for the mission in the end, no hint of progress or achievement. If anything, they'd taken steps backwards. So what did the lives of so many accomplish; what did their sacrifice amount to? He tried to find an answer, but it continually came back as _nothing_. Their deaths were completely meaningless if this was where they'd ended up. Despite the scores of men and women moving around below him, it was intensely quiet.

The sun was sinking towards the horizon. Its' golden rays bathed the scouts of the 57th Expedition in a fiery glow.

Josh folded open a page of his book, and started scribbling a passage onto it. _"How many days have ended with a sight such as this? How many battles have soaked the plains in blood? We stand on the field of 'glory', beaten, battered, and broken. We are as like a wounded beast, slinking away to its den to slowly die. It pains me to think of our fate, the fate of our brothers and sisters. For decades, we have upheld a solemn duty to the people. We chase the promise of a better tomorrow, a brighter tomorrow, for the good of all mankind. So, how many hundreds of us will never get to see it? How many hundreds of young men and women have died tormented deaths out here on the edge of the world? How many mothers and fathers will forever wait for their children who never came home? Tell me, when is this nightmare finally going to end? Tell me, when will heaven have enough angels?"_ More pretty words. That was all he ever had at times like this. Dozens of pages, filled with the most beautiful and romantic phrases he could think of to describe the ugliest and most heart rending things a human being could ever see. He stuffed the book back inside of his saddlebag and looked in the direction of Wall Rose. "How many people have to die before all is said and done? How much pain and suffering will there be before I can make my way back to you?" Though he desperately hoped otherwise, he felt like things were going to become considerably worse in the months to come. If it was darkest before the dawn, then they were likely still in the dead of night.

The sound of boots stomping through grass caused him to turn. A girl with a busted, bandaged nose, and a depressed look on her face met his gaze. Aline.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked.

Josh nodded. "Are you doing alright?"

"That depends on how warped your definition of 'alright' is, but no, not really." She rubbed at the dressing on her face.

He thought for a moment, trying to think of something more to say to her. "I'm sorry about Mikasa breaking your nose." It came out awkwardly.

"I don't really care about **that**." She winced when her fingers brushed over the fracture point.

"I'm just not sure where to begin on…everything else." There was a moment of quiet before Aline responded.

"This time it was way different you know?" Her friend raised an eyebrow. "When Jansen died, he had that stupid smile on his face. He said all that mushy goodbye crap and passed on _peacefully_. More or less, he was content and able to find some meaning and purpose. Just like he'd always wanted, he got a 'soldier's death'. Alex and Freja were the exact opposite. For them, there was nothing but terror and agony. They weren't soldiers; in those moments, they were just two kids frightened of the abyss. I have no idea what I was expecting, but this definitely wasn't it. When he was being ripped in half, Alex had this look on his face. Like he was being punished for a crime he didn't commit. I saw that expression, and it felt like someone had twisted a knife inside me."

"I'm sorry we weren't there with you. Maybe it would have turned out differently if we had been."

"This isn't your fault. Not Albrecht, or Christa either. This is all on Mikasa. If she hadn't made us chase her down, the others would still be alive." Aline clenched her fists and snarled.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything." She said quietly

"That's…not like you at all." Josh wasn't able to contain his surprise.

She looked over her shoulder towards the assembly area. "She brought up a good point when we first caught her. She said that, if I was in her shoes, nothing on earth could stop me from getting to you guys. Mikasa was just desperate to protect the person she cares most about. While I hate her for acting so callous and stupid, I can't honestly say that I'd have done any different."

"You wouldn't have thrown everyone else's safety out the window I know that much. There would have been a strategy, and you wouldn't have tried to go alone. Even when you're being reckless, you never act without thinking. When lives are on the line, you've never taken chances. You'd make one hell of a section commander."

"I appreciate the glowing character reference, but it doesn't matter how 'good of a leader' I am, or what I do or say to Mikasa. It won't change anything; Alex and Freja are still just as dead." It may have sounded like a cold thing to say, but her tone betrayed feelings of regret, sadness, despair. There were no handles to turn back the hands of time, no chances to try again or methods to raise the deceased. The two young recruits were gone, and there was no way around it. What's more, even though Mikasa was indirectly responsible for their demise, it had been Aline who was in command when they'd gone after her.

"Don't start blaming yourself over this." Josh read her expression. "That's only going to dig you into an emotional hole. We've all seen the dark road that leads down. I won't allow you to put yourself through that kind of torture, and the others won't either."

"After everything we've been through, I feel like being tortured is just another part of the job. We made the decision to shoulder this burden for all the people living behind those walls. We shoulder their suffering and fear so they can rest easy at night. Maybe that means we don't get to find any peace. Joining the Scout Regiment, hell of a life choice wasn't it?" The last statement was barely more than a whisper.

Aline pulled her arms tightly around herself and stared off into the distance. On her face was a disconsolate expression. There was no shine behind her eyes, no spark or trace of the girl he had grown up with. It was just like Albrecht had become after Trost. Such a realization put him at a loss for words. Though he tried, for the first time in a long time, Josh Kassmeyer couldn't think of anything to say.

The longer they were out here, the more they experienced, and the more rapidly they changed. His childhood friends were becoming ghosts of their former selves. Like old and broken toys that have been mistreated one too many times. This war was hollowing them, stripping away their innocence and their souls. He wondered; when was he going to reach his own breaking point?

Albrecht Johannes looked to the ridge where his companions stood. He hefted yet another cadaver up onto the wagon. The taste in his mouth grew increasingly bitter the longer he was about the task. On this one cart alone, they had to have loaded a good twenty of their comrades' remains.

After it was full, he sat against the spokes of the wheel and let out a long sigh. His hands were caked with dry blood that he'd gleaned from his work. There was still at least one more load's worth of bodies lining the grass in front of him.

"Are you having fun yet?" A voice asked sarcastically from his left.

"You're a real bitch you know that?" He muttered. A woman's shadow fell across him as Sergeant Tanzerin sauntered up. She looked different this time though. She was fully strapped with a set of 3D Gear and a tattered scout cloak was draped around her shoulders.

"I don't understand why you feel inclined to be so rude to me." She folded her arms.

"What's with the costume change?" Albrecht said, ignoring her statement.

"I figured that if I was going to come all the way out here, I may as well get dressed up. You know, for old times' sake. I haven't worn this thing in four years. Not since the operation to retake Wall Maria. Plus, I don't stand out as much if I'm in proper uniform."

"There's no need for you to blend in; I'm the only one who can see or hear you."

"Can't you allow me to enjoy myself a little bit, just once? A girl's got to be allowed to play make believe sometimes. It's nice to reminisce and see old faces again. So if you could stop being such a buzz kill, I'd appreciate it."

"Crawl back to whatever dark pit you slithered out of and go screw yourself. Now is not the time for your antics."

She laughed and leaned against the flank of the wagon. "Nice snake analogy; that's a new one. I'm glad you're keeping creative with the insults. Still, you gotta stop being so freaking serious all the time. Grab your new girlfriend and go behind a bush for a few minutes. I guarantee you'll feel soooooo much better."

"I'm not the kind of man that does that, and she's not my girlfriend. Keep pushing me and a blade is going right through your forehead. Maybe if I do that enough times, you'll stay in hell where you belong?"

"Hell? Come on, I'm an angel. Don't you see my beautiful wings and my glowing halo?" She posed like she was imitating a church statue. "Speaking of angels, looks like a couple more of your friends came to join me in the sweet hereafter. It's sad to see young people dying like this isn't it? Today must have been really rough on you guys. Ah well, that's life I suppose; no one ever said being a scout was easy. At least _these _ones didn't die because of you." Albrecht looked up at her and snarled. In response, she snickered. "Whoops, did I strike another nerve there?"

"Almost every time you open your mouth I feel the desire to strike you down. Looking back, I'd rather you'd died at **my** hands than a titan's. You've got no right to speak about any of my friends."

"Because you're one to talk when it comes to speaking ill of the dead, right?" Sergeant Tanzerin was suddenly serious.

The two of them glared at each other for a moment before Albrecht turned away again. "Leave me alone demon. I wasn't in the mood for your jokes, and I'm _really_ not in the mood for you to start chastising me."

"Where would you be if I didn't get under your skin from time to time? You'd probably just be wallowing in your own stupid self-pity and insecurities. You need me kid, and that's undeniable. I give you direction, purpose, and something to strive towards. Call me a guiding light if you will. Even if you only follow me out of hatred, that's fine. Having someone, or something, to focus your rage on is good."

He rose to his feet. "Then would you kindly do some _actual _guiding. All you seem to do is show up and make obscene jokes or mock me. So tell me what the hell I'm supposed to do."

"You've done everything you're supposed to so far. There have been a number of things that have occurred as a roll of the dice, variables popping up all over the place. This hasn't changed the coming storm though, not even a little. Events are fast approaching their crescendo. Once we reach that point, how things will turn out is anyone's guess. I told you once that your actions will help to determine how the rest of this story unfolds. That still holds true."

"How am I supposed to know when this 'crescendo' arrives, or even what it will be?"

"Believe me it's going to be pretty hard to miss. All the same, I'd keep your eyes open if I were you. Some things aren't exactly what they seem, and neither are some people."

"Tell me who you're talking about." His interest was piqued.

"I'm not a soothsayer; how many times must I tell you that? For the most part all I know are vague details, and I share those with you every time. Everything else, you have to do some of your own digging. That's how you find the root."

"This cryptic BS you pull really gets on my nerves."

"Don't get snarky with me Albrecht Johannes. I give you everything that I am able, no more, no less. This may be difficult to accept, but the world is a complicated place. Rarely are things cut and dry like we want them to be."

"If that's all you have to tell, then please let me be for now. I'm tired, and there's much more that needs to be done today." He placed his hand on one of the score bodies stacked on the wagon. "We've still got to bring everyone home." He said with a tinge of melancholy.

Sergeant Tanzerin gave him a wry smile. "Well, it was nice chatting with you as always. I'll be around. Give me a holler if there's a time when you_ don't_ need me again." She said sardonically before fading away into a cluster of other soldiers. Albrecht regarded the group she had vanished amongst for a minute or two, thinking for some reason that she might re-emerge from it. She didn't. As usual, she showed up, or spoke up just long enough to be a nuisance or piss him off. Then she was quiet until she felt the need to pick at him again. There was no reason to ever expect any different of her.

Albrecht shook his head and went to help load the next round of corpses.

It wasn't long after that the battalion got moving, beginning the long and solemn ride back to Karanese. Those who were able made the trip on horseback. The severely wounded were carried in the wagons, the medics working to keep their charges in stable condition until they behind the walls again. One of them however had elected to join the small contingent watching over the day's fallen.

Erik Grunewald sat and watched the forest recede toward the horizon behind them. He was festooned with gauze wraps and coated with gore. A substantial amount of it was not his own. Pain ebbed and flowed throughout his body, the wounds on his head and side pulsating with every bump they rolled over. Scratches covered his arms and legs where his uniform had been torn. Some of these still bled as well. All of that was far from his mind however. Every second of his thoughts lingered on his best friend. Privately, he asked himself and God why Alex had been taken instead of him. That's what should have happened; that's what Erik would have preferred. He could find no reason in the way things had turned out. The two of them had been much more than friends, they'd been brothers. Since they were four years old they'd been side by side, doing everything together. He'd always helped Alex through his problems, his struggles, and his fears. He'd been his pillar of strength, pulling him up by his bootstraps every single time the need arose. Despite that, Erik was the one who felt helpless and alone without him.

Driving the wagon in which Erik rode was Richter Oschatz. Over the last number of minutes he had noticed the rest of the unit growing further and further apart from them. Such was the weight of the dead, that those transporting them were forced to travel at a much slower pace, lingering at the rear of column. Just maintaining the current pace was likely taking a toll on the horses. The sooner they got back to the wall, the better. They were too exposed back here in the event that any titans showed up. Considering the relative flatness of the ground and lack of trees, it would also be nearly impossible to engage their ODM equipment. If a fight came, they'd doubtless have a hard time of it. Richter glanced over his shoulder and looked at the three soldiers sitting with the bodies. Only one of them he recognized by name. The other two were from the batch of new recruits. Their identities escaped his memory. One of them looked like he'd been put through the ringer and then some. A tan skinned boy with thick, dark hair that was slicked back. He couldn't have been too much younger than Richter, but he had the look of a weary old man. It was troubling to see how much one afternoon beyond the wall seemed to have aged him. It could be easy to forget how traumatic your first time in titan territory could turn out. Many of those who had volunteered alongside Richter a year ago fell during their first expedition. Most of the rest died in the following missions. He was one of three who remained, thanks to the veterans who had taken him under their wings. Hopefully, more of these recruits would live to see the end of all this.

Richter put as many of the negative thoughts from his mind as possible and turned his attention forward again. The important thing right now was to focus on getting home.

"HEADS UP; WE'VE GOT COMPANY!" Richter immediately snapped around in his seat. His eyes widened. About couple hundred meters behind them, two titans, a fourteen meter variant accompanied by a ten meter, were sprinting in their direction. Two scouts were riding full bore two stay ahead of the enemy at their heels. Richter swallowed hard and shouted for the attention of the nearest ranking officer.

"SERGEANT!" Someone in the wagon next to his was already firing off a red smoke signal.

Terrelle Gerhard swore under his breath. "Pick it up people! We have to catch up with the rest of the battalion or we're all dead!" He was going to kick the crap out of whoever was back there. From the look of things, one of them was carrying a body on their back. The two scouts had gone to retrieve someone against the commander's orders, drawing titans to them in the process. Now, the selfish bastards had just endangered the lives of everyone at the rear.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jean shouted as he saw how much ground the titans were gaining. "At this rate, they're going to run us down! We're going to have to fight this one out I guess!"

"No, we won't be able to make proper use of our equipment. The terrain is way too flat." Armin said firmly. That didn't stop Mikasa from going to take them on. Whether it was to protect Eren or save the two soldiers in flight, they couldn't say. Though, both options raised Aline's ire significantly.

She looked at Armin indignantly. "There's obviously at least one way to go about this, or _she_ wouldn't be doing it."

"Mikasa's skills far and away exceed any of ours. Even then, it will be somewhat difficult for her to engage them, plus that still leaves another target free to come after us."

"It's going to be more than one here in a few minutes." Elise pointed to the northeast. Several more titans were coming, and others would surely follow in their wake.

Aline grimaced. "Alright genius, if we can't fight them and we can't at present outrun them, what exactly do you suggest that we do?"

"The only thing that we can do…" He glanced sidelong at the wagons transporting the stacks of dead scouts. It took a second for his meaning to sink in.

Elise's voice trembled when she connected the words with their intention. "Armin, you can't be saying that we should…"

"Oh God, oh God, its' catching up! Sir, what're we going to do?!" Recruit Ctirad Liska looked at the elder scout to his left. The fourteen meter variant was only about a hundred feet behind the wagon now, and gaining by the instant.

"I'll distract it, hopefully give you a chance to get some distance. I'll keep it occupied as long as I can. Just get out of here, the lot of you!"

"That's not going to work. In a few moments there'll just be more on our tails." Captain Levi pulled in on their left. "The only way we can survive this is if we jettison the extra weight. Dump the bodies." The two scouts stared blankly at him. Even in his catatonic state, Erik heard what the officer had said. His eyes drifted to the position in the stack where what was left of Alex lay, his arm sticking out of the folded canvas that enshrouded the remnants of his torso. He got to his feet and started unwrapping.

"Sir, all due respect, this plan sounds about fifty kinds of messed up." Richter called over his shoulder, giving the reins a few more spirited snaps as he drove the horses onward.

"Do you all know how many bodies we've already left behind? These ones aren't special, so toss them. Consider it their last service to the cause." His tone was characteristically cold, but his eyes betrayed his disconcertion at the idea.

Ctirad was huddling over one of the corpses apprehensively. "Are we doing this?! We can't seriously be doing this!"

"There's no other way; we have to." Erik said quietly. "It's not an ideal solution, but I think that our comrades would…want to help us one last time." He held Alex's half covered remains in his arms, less a fatigue jacket. _"I'm sorry brother."_ He whispered softly. Erik took a couple of deep breaths and tightly hugged the body for a few seconds. Then, he tossed it out of the wagon. Each crunching impact made as it bounced along the ground made his heart hurt.

The other two scouts gaped at him for a moment before unlatching the ramp to the wagon's bed. Hesitantly, they heaved the first body overboard into the dirt. Much like Alex's it bounced several times. It was then crushed underfoot by the titan pursuing them, kicking up a cloud of dust. The creature was still closing on them. This had to be done now, or they'd be joining the ranks of the dead themselves soon. So, one by one, they threw their comrades to the earth. Bones shattered, necks snapped, sometimes appendages broke off when the corpses continuously collided with the ground. Ten were tossed out, then fifteen, twenty, until every last one was discarded. The only reminder of their presence being a handful of bloodstains in the wood. They began pulling away from the titan, gaining a great amount of speed with the loss of baggage. The other wagons had done the same, streams of bodies lining the path back towards the forest. Just another loss in a long day of bitter defeats.

With the titans chasing them, the formation had to changed course several times following the incident, stopping every so often to check their bearings and plan out where they were going to go next. It wouldn't be too much farther now; the high walls of the Karanese District were just within sight range when the scouts held up to reconnoiter the surrounding area, ensuring all hands were present and the enemy wasn't nearby.

The former members of Squad Seven, and a few of the other recruits, took a moment to collect themselves. Though the prospect of safe haven was finally within reach, there was little joy to be had. They stood under a cluster of small trees in a sloppy circle. This was the first time all day that they'd been able to come together and take collective stock of everything that had transpired. Tears were shed, comrades embraced, consolations and apologies were offered. An occasional word of encouragement was spoken, though many of those were lost in a void of anguish. Nothing could have prepared them for war beyond the walls. Not even the abhorrent instances they'd borne witness to during the siege came close to what they'd undergone today. At least when the sun had finally set over that burning city there had been some measure of hope, some measure of triumph. In no man's land, only death and despair had come to them. Once this place claimed you, you never left. Brothers and sisters left behind in this desolate place would crumble and sink into the earth, forever lost. All they had left to cling to were their memories.

Right now, the new horizon sought after by the Scout Regiment seemed ten eternities apart from them. A pipe dream, pursued only by those foolish or crazy enough to challenge fate. Such individuals were a finite resource. If future operations had results akin to today's foray, then the only thing left to fill their ranks would be tombstones.

The sun was low at the backs of the weary soldiers as they trudged through the shattered ruins of the outer city and up to the gates of Karanese. No titans assailed them this time around, a small mercy granted to the beleaguered survivors. The support squad somberly watched over them as massive chains pulled the stone barrier upwards, allowing passage. Josh Kassmeyer's eyes followed it as it ascended. The face emblazoned on Wall Rose's proud crest looked southwards, as though turning her gaze from them in disappointment. She had always been that way, too proud and noble to meet the eyes of those who stood in her shadow. These fortifications had been built with the intention of safe guarding the remnants of the human race, but just as Eren had often said over the years, they were no more than a prison, a façade we are forced to cower behind in an attempt to stave off our own destruction. Actually, considering the capabilities of the Colossal, Female, and Armored titans, the walls basically just pinned everyone in one spot as they waited for extinction to come knocking.

The outer gate locked into place some thirty feet above their heads, clods of displaced earth sprinkling down from the ground stakes. Without need of command, the column lurched forward into the gatehouse. Josh led Ritter forward into the darkened portal. Some of the earthen clumps fell upon his shoulders as he passed through the opening, just like when they had departed that morning. The echo of boots, hooves, and wheels smacking against the worn cobbles reverberated in the shadowed space. Passing through it only took a couple of moments, but each intervening second passed like a year.

Upon entering the city proper, the 57th Expedition was greeted by an avenue lined with throngs of civilians. Apprehensive murmurs threaded their way amongst them. The crowd was a mixture of different expressions and emotions. A number of them were family members, anxiously scanning dirty, tired faces for their loved ones. Some looked afraid, others just stared. The cathedral bells which had so joyously tolled in their honor hours before were completely silent. _Welcome home brave soldiers. His majesty is honored by your selfless sacrifice. _

"Is this all that's left of them?" A woman asked.

"Yeah, the rest must've been eaten." A man answered her.

"Damn, there's so many wounded too." Someone else said.

"It must have been a bad one…"

None of the scouts spoke. They just continued on, eyes downcast. Not every comment they heard carried the weight of concern or sadness.

"Wow, they're back already; what happened? They were all piss and vinegar this morning."

"I'm guessing they weren't expecting to come back so soon. Maybe they forgot something?" One man snorted. A couple of scouts glanced at him bitterly, though they were too exhausted to retort.

"Your taxes hard at work ladies and gentlemen, bravo." Someone else rolled their eyes.

Aline walked along the outside of the column, trying to block out people's sarcastic words and insulting sentiments. Though, that was becoming increasingly difficult with every step she took. _Shut up, shut up, shut the hell up._ She was a simmering pot of barely contained anger. With every snide remark from the sidelines, she felt cracks opening in her fragile composure. All it would take is one more person to send her over the edge. If one more arrogant prick opened their mouth, she'd make them regret it. There was a smug looking man standing on top of a crate just ahead on her right. He was making sweeping gestures along the ragged line of scouts.

"Come on, if you guys are going to come back so soon, why bother leaving? At this point, all you're doing is wasting good coin. You see folks _this_ is what happens when pride takes you outside the wall!" He laughed. Aline snarled and clenched her fist, the man kept talking. "Look at it this way; we're already dealing with a food shortage, a few less mouths to feed sounds nice to me!"

Aline stomped over to where he was giving his speech and punched him forcefully between the legs. The man fell to the ground, spluttering and clutching at his groin. She stood over him and roared. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER! Do you have any idea what we went through out there?! Do you know what we sacrificed, what MY FRIENDS sacrificed?! We're fighting and DYING for YOUR sake! Don't you understand that?! Is the weight of your purse of greater importance than the weight of our lives you son of a bitch?!" She kicked him in the stomach. He had no right to speak. He didn't understand the world as she had come to understand it. Not a single one of the people in front of her understood. Yet, they had the audacity to speak ill of the scouts, and everything they had given up so these pompous jackasses could go on living in blissful ignorance. She brought her attention up to the gathered crowd. They were worthless vindictive ingrates, every last one of them. "NONE OF YOU even have a damn clue what it's like on the other side of that wall!" She swept an accusatory finger across everyone at her front, eyes wild.

The man tried to regain his feet, leaning on the box for support. "You'll pay for that—you little whore!" He fished a knife from his pocket and brandished it. That was a big mistake.

Aline had her hand on her sword. It was already half out of the scabbard. "Go ahead shit sack, give me a reason!"

"I'm—with the Merchant Association, you—wouldn't dare!" He recoiled slightly, remembering he was considerably outmatched against a soldier, and he had considerably more to lose.

"I don't care if you're the district governor; you raise your hand against me and I'll cut it off!" She pulled her sword free the rest of the way. The man shrunk away from her, dropping the knife before he took off into an alley. Aline brought her gaze up to the crowd again, eyes darting from side to side. "Anyone else want a piece?! Let's have it you spineless bastards, come at me!" Several members of the crowd backed away, frightened. She took a step towards them.

"Aline, stop!" Christa stepped in front of her, spreading her arms wide. "This isn't worth it!" She breathed heavily as she waited for her squad mate to react. Aline shook with a rage that was seconds away from causing her to snap. If pushed even an inch further, she would be more than inclined to make use of the instrument in her grip. There were a hundred stares aimed at the two girls. Soldiers, civilians, friends, and strangers all held their breath. "Just put the weapon away…please." There was a tense and unsettling moment in which Christa worried that she would have to draw her own blades to stop Aline from committing murder. It proved unnecessary in the end.

Aline's shaking lessened, becoming more intermittent. She started sniffling, which evolved into soft crying. A few droplets of saline plummeted from the corners of her eyes. Within the next two breaths, she was bawling. The sword fell from her hand, clattering against the stone. She collapsed onto her knees and the tears rushed forth like rivers. She put her arms around Christa's waist and buried her face in her friend's shirt. Christa returned the embrace, smiling sadly and stroking Aline's head. "It's alright. Cry as much as you want, I've got you. It's going to be okay." She whispered. Aline balled the fabric of Christa's cloak in her fists, whimpering loudly. The other scouts averted their gaze, many of them fighting back tears of their own. A number were no longer capable of doing so, and rain drops fell from their eyes too. _That day, the angels cried, their burden becoming too much to bear._

Josh, Albrecht, and Elise were mesmerized. None of them had ever seen Aline cry before. She'd come close when Jansen had died, but not a single tear had fallen then. Her eyes barely even watered when her nose had been broken. Yet here she was, crumpled on the ground, weeping like a small child. She had finally reached that tipping point. The feeling that arose from witnessing the display was surreal, like, out of all the things that had occurred today, this was the one that they couldn't have seen coming.

The three of them walked over and crouched next to the emotionally locked pair. Enveloping one another, the five young soldiers clasped arms tightly, and worked Aline onto her feet. She dropped back to the ground several times, buckling over and over under the weight of her grief and heartache. They wound up having to carry her, not even support from both flanks was able to keep her upright. She'd just—fallen apart. Albrecht cradled her in his arms and walked on. Elise and Christa followed in his wake. Civilians looked on, for the moment, all were silent. _Here we stand, beaten, battered, and broken. Just a bunch of kids, trying to come to terms with the insanity of war. _

Josh found tears forming in the corners of his eyes. They were a mixture of several things, anger, sadness, remorse, frustration, and exhaustion. He wiped them away as the column started moving again. It was difficult to focus his thoughts and emotions as he tried to fathom how they had fallen so low. Being unable to find a reason was aggravating. He let out several short, ragged breaths and slammed his fist into the side of one of the wagons. "Dammit!" The act was repeated several more times, each impact falling harder, cutting his knuckles on the wood. "Dammit, DAMMIT, **DAMMIT**!" He covered his face, digging the tips of his fingers into his forehead.

"Joshua?" A familiar voice came from his right. He stopped dead in his tracks. The sound drew his attention like someone had jingled a small bell next to his ear. His eyes met those of a slight, middle aged woman with long dark hair that was starting to gray. Though plain, her clothes were clean and ironed. A basket hung from her arm, laden with fruit and vegetables, she'd been at the market. A task that she completed the same time every week, just like clockwork. She stared at him uncertainly for a handful of seconds. "Joshua?" she asked again, though with slightly greater trepidation than before. Of course, she'd never seen him like this, a seventeen year old boy with the look of a man near the grave. His uniform was different. Dirty and adorned with patches that she'd not seen on him. He had been a bright and smiling boy when last they had seen each other, quite the opposite of the one that stood here now. It was as though she looked at a complete stranger. It was only natural to assume her eyes were wrong; she had to be seeing things. The woman inched toward him, a trembling hand outstretched. It came to rest on the side of his face.

_"__What did you guys tell your parents? In regards to joining the Scouts I mean."_

_"__My parents don't know… I didn't tell them…"_

Why, why did she show up now of all times? Why did she have to find out like this? Why, for the love of God did she have to look at him that way? Josh Kassmeyer felt a hot tear roll down his cheek. He tried to summon the fortitude to respond, to say something meaningful, or offer some kind of explanation. There was no way he could. After several attempts at speaking, only one word managed to form on his lips. "Mom…"

At the head of the formation, Lieutenant Blasa Tanzerin and Sergeant Iryna Shevchenko walked next to Commander Erwin. Hange Zoe and Mike Zacharius were at his other side. Captain Levi had been pulled aside by a nervous middle aged man. An anxious father seeking his child most likely, a child that lay in no man's land. Members of the crowd had started shouting again, hurling accusations and angry questions at the officer leading the tattered band of soldiers through the streets.

"Give us some answers damn you; what happened out there?!"

"We have a right to know!"

"How many lives were lost this time?!"

"Where's my daughter?!"

"Was it worth it?! Did any of this even matter?!"

"You sent my son to his death didn't you?!"

"Do you think the last thing going through their minds was the _good of humanity_?!"

"Don't walk away from us you bastard!"

The command team marched on, keeping their eyes straight ahead. None of them uttered a sound. Every question went unanswered; every comment was less a response. Blasa even drew her hood up over her head so that it would be easier to shut out their hate filled stares. Iryna folded her hands and gazed skywards, quietly muttering something in the tongue of her homeland. _"Hospody Bozhe Vsederzhytelʹ , budʹ laska, prynesty myr torturam dushi nashykh brativ i sester , yaki zalyshylysya v hlybyntsi sʹohodni …"_

They were berated all the way through the city, right up to the inner gate where they passed through to the interior. There were no answers to give the frantic populace, no consolations. In the wake of recent victories, the Scout Regiment had regained some of the public's good graces. People had started believing in them again, in what they could do. After the results of the 57th Expedition however, what little favor they held was subsequently crushed. They were again seen as fools, throwing away vast amounts of money and precious lives in pursuit of the impossible.

Night had begun its' descent on the land, and lanterns were lit along the length of the formation. A long line of swaying lights spiraled away into the darkness of the countryside. It was like watching a funeral procession. A troop from the Military Police Brigade met the scouts at a small crossroads village a couple of hours after sundown, where the weary battalion had elected to rest briefly. Each of the MPs had carbines and pistols strapped to their saddles, like they'd come looking for a fight. Not an unlikely occurrence, considering the tension and animosity between the two branches. They passed clusters of quiet men and women; dirty and disheveled individuals who regarded them with immense disdain. Some of the scouts offered up obscene gestures, or spat on the ground at their feet. The officer leading the contingent looked around and scoffed. Pathetic whelps, degenerates with no respect for their betters. A _proper_ commander would flog soldiers for such insolence.

Levi and Blasa leaned against the wall of a tavern. "What do you want?" The former asked, darkly.

The officer's eyes narrowed. "Captain Levi I presume, and Lieutenant Tanzerin, yes?" The two of them were known by reputation amongst law enforcement officials. Fierce and brutal fighters with a knack for spilling blood, they didn't look so tough in their current state.

Blasa spat on the ground. "Get on with it copper; what are you doing here?"

"Where is Erwin Smith, I require an audience."

"Anything that the commander needs to be told can go through me." Levi said in monotone. "Take it or leave it."

"Hmph, as you wish captain." The officer pulled an envelope from his satchel and handed it down. It was stamped with the seal of the royal government. Levi peeled the wax off, opening the document. He scrutinized the paper in the dim light of the lanterns. Blasa leaned over his shoulder to read it.

"What is this?" She venomously asked the officer.

"A summons. At the behest of the premier of his majesty's armed forces, and the insistence of parliament, the Survey Corps is to report to the capital in one week's time. Your command shall be subject to a government inquiry and your custody of the _thing_ known as Eren Jaeger will be hence revoked. You will be escorted through the Stohess District in route to the capital, wherein Jaeger shall be handed over to Lord Commander Nile Dok of the Military Police Brigade. Tell Erwin that his little charade has come to an end. He will reap what he has sown. See you in three days." The officer wheeled his horse around and galloped off into the night with his retinue.

"So that's it then, we're done. They gave us one chance and we botched it." Levi grimaced.

Blasa groaned. "This day just gets better and better. Those bastards couldn't even give us a single night's peace?"

"Fear not my friends; we aren't throwing in the towel just yet." Commander Erwin appeared suddenly at their backs. "We still have an ace up our sleeve." A shadow hung over his eyes.

"What is it you're planning sir?" What scheme was he plotting, what subversions?

"Not I, **we**. I'll need you two on board for this as well."

Levi cautiously raised an eyebrow. "What do you need us to do?"

"Upon our return to headquarters, we will have seven days before we're expected to rendezvous with the MPs in Stohess. That's not a lot of time, and we have much to do. I want a list of everyone who was in intimate proximity to the female titan during our excursion. You two will also need to put together a strike force and whatever heavy weapons we have available in our arsenal. Hange will be in need of the specifics on both of those. Once our resources have been consolidated, we will come together. There will be a briefing two nights before we depart; all of our pertinent intel is going on the table. However, I want to be very clear that this only goes as far as it has to. There won't be another opportunity if the plan leaks out. We have no idea who may be listening."

"So, what's this all about sir?"

"I shall tell you in due time lieutenant. Until then, just do as I have instructed." He turned to head into the tavern. Erwin stopped at the door, turning to his subordinates. "Notify the sergeants and squad leaders, we're moving out in fifteen minutes."

They rode hard, all of them, into the early hours of the morning to reach their base. Time was of the essence, and every minute was precious time that could be spent preparing. Horses and gear were stowed away, and the common soldiers shuffled off to the barracks hall to try and glean some shut eye before the next day came. There was no rest to be had for some however. Lights flickered in the windows of the castle as officers rushed about gathering reports. Erwin Smith sat in his office staring out the window at the moon. He sipped pensively from a mug of tea that Mike had brought to him. _Soon_, he thought, _all of the pieces will be in place._

**Survey Corps HQ, five days later; forty hours before the rendezvous in Stohess…**

Since the return from beyond Wall Rose, time had passed strangely. You would wake up in the morning and it was dark again by the time you looked out the window. Everyone was out of it, at the end of their ropes, just going through the motions. Josh Kassmeyer wandered down the dimly lit corridors. He hadn't been able to sleep much in the last few days, plagued by the strange dreams that came to him on occasion. He'd spoken to Christa about it more than once, but it didn't help any. The others probably could have weighed in on it if they weren't already dealing with their own fragile mental states. So, he was left to his own devices, trying to resolve his restless thoughts into coherence. Sergeant Shevchenko had come across him a half hour ago in the main hall, asking him to report to one of the common rooms in the east wing. Some sort of meeting. Though he was feeling burnt out, the summons was a welcome alternative to enduring further nightmares.

The citadel was quiet as he made his way across it. Most everyone was asleep by now he imagined. All that he could hear were his own footsteps and the sound of the crackling torches on the walls. After a while of traipsing about the maze of galleries and rooms, he reached a door at the end of a long hallway, flanked by two blazing sconces. The sound of multiple voices crept through from the other side. Josh knocked against it several times, the voices stopped. He hesitated a moment, wondering if he might be in the wrong place.

"Who is it?" One of the voices asked.

"Um, Josh Kassmeyer, Sergeant Iryna told me to come down here?" The door swung open, revealing seven seated individuals at a table around a map. Captain Levi, Commander Erwin, Lieutenant Tanzerin, Jean, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa were arrayed before him. Strangely, Gisele was also present, peeking out from behind the door. He cautiously stepped into the room, and she shut it behind him.

Erwin Smith nodded. "I believe that's everyone then, thank you for coming recruit, despite the hour and late notice. I do apologize, but we started the discourse about ten minutes ago."

"Not at all sir, I should've come more quickly. What is it that you need of me?"

"We are preparing for a second operation to capture the female titan, and your assistance will likely be needed." Blasa said from behind folded hands.

"We're going beyond the walls again, this soon?"

"No, we're not. As you know, the regiment will be en route to the capital for a governmental hearing the day after tomorrow. On our way to the interior, we will be passing through Stohess. We believe the female titan has gone to ground there." Erwin looked at him.

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic sir, but Stohess is a big city, where do we start looking? And how do we know she'll still be hiding there when we show up?"

"She wouldn't risk going AWOL, that'd blow her cover."

"AWOL, you mean she's a soldier?!" The idea that someone sworn to protect humanity could be behind all of this was appalling.

The commander nodded. "Yes, she's a member of the city's Military Police unit. That will make it simple to determine her whereabouts. With any luck, that means we'll be able to capture her in human form, before she can cause any damage or take any more lives. You, young man, will be our secondary line of precaution to ensure she is apprehended in advance of transformation."

"Well alright then, I'm game." Josh resolutely pounded a fist into his palm. "A little payback sounds like a good idea to me. So who the hell is this chick anyway? I'd like to know who I'm going to kick the crap out of." He half laughed.

Most of the former cadets in the room fidgeted nervously and looked down at their shoes. They didn't answer him.

"What? Aren't you guys going to tell me who we're going after? I'm sure you were all chomping at the bit to know."

"How do I put this delicately?" Armin tapped his fingers together.

"Walking on pin and needles isn't going to make hearing it any easier. We should just come right out and tell him." Mikasa folded her arms.

Gisele shot her a reproachful look. "Don't be so cold. You ought to show some tact at the very least. This affects him way more than it affects any of us; you know that."

"Can someone please just tell me what the hell is going on?!" Josh was starting to worry.

His six comrades collectively exhaled, some of them still refusing to meet his questioning gaze. They looked to Armin as if sentencing him to play executioner at the guillotine. The blonde haired boy rose to his feet and pulled over another chair. He motioned Josh to take it. "I think you'll want to be sitting down for this…"


	22. Angel of Death: The Stohess Raid

Annie Leonhardt shot up in her bed, a cold sweat enveloping her. Her breaths were short and erratic. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. She'd had that nightmare again; the same one that had come every night for the last six days.

In the midst of a snowy winter's night, she was standing in a burning house, unable to get out. The doors wouldn't open, and the windows wouldn't break. Outside, twenty shadowy figures watched the raging inferno, just beyond the reach of the fire's glow. They stood, motionless, wind tugging at their hooded cloaks and whispering in a language she couldn't understand. She remembered running from them prior to entering this place. Though, the reason for them pursuing her was unclear. Had they been the ones to set the home ablaze, to smoke her out, to kill her? Though logical thought led to that conclusion, there was the distinct idea in Annie's mind that she'd lit the torch. Why would she do such a thing? What could motivate her to choose such a violent end? She wasn't able to discern what had brought her to this place, to these circumstances. Such revelations were always just beyond the reach of her conscious. She would scour the house, searching for clues as the structure began collapsing around her. Each night, the effort proved fruitless, even when the truth seemed close. For every time the answer seemed within her grasp, _he_ would come, somehow materializing behind her wherever she was in the house. How like him to show up when she was in the middle of something important and distract her.

He would walk toward her, the flames parting before his feet. That wonderfully stupid smile plastered across his features. He was perfectly calm, dismissing the hellish conflagration around them entirely. He would pull her close and kiss her, gentle but firmly. It was just as he had done so many times before, as **they** had done. She gladly gave into it, despite her confusion and surprise. He ran his fingers through her blonde hair, whispering sweet nothings. _I told you, I'll come back, I always will._ The worries, the fear, they all melted away when she was in his arms. Nothing else would matter in those moments. In their own little world, nothing could touch them. _I love you._ Tears, happy, joyful tears would well up in her eyes when she looked up into his. Even if the house came down on top of them, she was never going to let him go again.

Then, he would start coughing. Flecks of blood flew from his mouth, spattering her face. She would look down and see a sword in her hands, a sword that was being pushed to the hilt through Josh's abdomen. This expression would form on his face, this questioning, betrayed expression. _Annie…why?_ She would frantically try to remove the blade, screaming and apologizing as precious life seeped away. Her arms would not obey her. They just continued to slide inch after inch of iron through him, eventually tearing out of his back. _Stop it, please for the love of God I'm begging you, STOP! _Only once the weapon could go no further was she able to control her limbs again.

She tried everything she could think of, but the bleeding wouldn't stop. It just poured out from him, staining both of their clothes sanguine until he finally stopped moving. The spark of life behind his eyes vanished, snuffed out like a midnight candle. Annie had killed him. The person she loved and cared for most in this messed up world was dead by her hand. The body would slump to the ground, skin drying and becoming grey like fresh ash. She would grab onto him, cradling his lifeless corpse in her arms, crying hysterically. In time, Josh disintegrated before her, and his ashes would blow away on some unfelt ethereal wind. Nothing but grief remained of him to hold onto. Dozens, scores, possibly hundreds of voices then would descend upon her. Whispers from nowhere, all maliciously asking that same question; _Annie, why? _The voices beat down like hammers striking steel, rising to a collective shrieking that made her brain throb against the inside of her skull. She could taste blood in her mouth.

The shadow people would appear around her in a tight circle, echoing the question and pointing accusatory fingers at her. They would close in around her, reaching out with gnarled, black hands, smothering and choking her until darkness overcame everything. A cold, seemingly endless darkness, more terrifying than any death she could conjure. No light, no sound, just an eternal void. Seconds after it enveloped her however, she would wake, _safe_, and **alone** in her bed. Annie could remember every detail of the dream vividly. After the second night, she even prepared herself mentally for it to reoccur, though that helped minimally. The harder she tried to fight it, the more agonizing it became. But in the end, it was still nothing more than a dream. She had to tell herself that, no matter how real, frightening, and painful it was.

Annie's heart rate eventually settled, and her breathing returned to normal shortly thereafter. The episode was passing. The nightmare began fading into the back of her mind once more, slumbering like some eldritch beast until it was free to roam her conscious when next the moon rose.

She rubbed the sleepers from her eyes and yawned. She glanced over at the desk in her corner, and the clock resting on top of it. She read it and grimaced. Nine o' clock. It was getting late. She was supposed to have been up two hours ago.

"Hitch," she groaned. "Why didn't you wake me up?" There was no response from her roommate. Of course there wasn't. Annie didn't have to check the other bunk to know the girl was gone. She was probably in the mess hall, happily partaking in breakfast with the rest of the precinct. There'd probably be some snide remark when Annie bumped into her during formation, some "excuse" for letting her oversleep. How typical. They'd been sharing quarters for just over a month and it quickly became evident that Hitch Dreyse was about the least helpful person in the unit, aside from their drunken excuse for a CO. She slacked off, constantly complained, and spent the better part of her shifts flirting with the young men of Stohess. She was like Aline had once been, only _much_ worse. Stupid, prissy, arrogant rich girl; it'd be nice if someone would smack her once and a while. Maybe that would help knock some common decency into her head. Heck, even if it did no more than piss her off, it'd still be amusing.

Annie sighed and got out of bed. No point in getting agitated over it. She stretched. Her night clothes clung to her body, dampened by vast amounts of nightmare sweat. Her sheets were in similar condition. _Tch, well this is nasty._ Another inconvenience that she could add to the list. Though it meant she'd miss any chance at grabbing some food before formation, she had to shower. That was alright, the dream had left her without much of an appetite anyway. She stumbled groggily into the bathroom and started the water running. Annie peeled off her soaked garments, throwing them into the laundry bin for later. She leaned over the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked awful. She felt awful. Dark circles rimmed her bloodshot eyes. "You have to get a grip. You can't keep doing this; it isn't healthy." She said to her reflection. "Everything is going to be fine. Don't dwell on it." She looked back at the steaming shower. She ran her hand beneath the shower head, nice and warm. One of the many small comforts of being an MP; hot, private showers anytime you wanted one. This was bound to refresh her a bit at least. Maybe even clear her head for a while if she was lucky. It would be nice to just forget everything, even if it was only for a short time. With everything that had happened recently, that certainly couldn't hurt.

Half an hour or so later, she came walking down the stairs to the barracks hall. Everyone else was already lined up along the wall, quietly awaiting the arrival of the unit commander. A girl with butterscotch blonde hair looked up as Annie descended. A counterfeit smile creased her lips.

"Look who's finally awake." There was the snide remark. "You look so terrifying when you're asleep I didn't dare disturb you." And there was the excuse. Annie didn't respond, but she briefly considered greeting Hitch with a gesture that included her middle finger.

"You've been pretty lax in your duties lately." The soldier next to her said. Annie kept her eyes at the floor, trying to ignore them.

Hitch made a pouting face. "Aw, Marlo you're upsetting her." The _concern_ in her voice was fake, just as her smile had been.

"She's anti-social, not upset." Marlo replied as Annie grudgingly took her spot at the end of the line.

"Knock it off you two. You know she fought during the siege of Trost before coming here right? That makes her the only member of this outfit who's seen any real action. She must have been through hell there. It probably takes some time to readjust."

"Oh, so you have a crush on the new girl huh?" Hitch snickered. "Boris, what could you possibly see in her?" _As if __**you**__ have any room to criticize anyone bimbo._

"I don't know Hitch. Maybe it's because she got into the MPs based on skill, unlike some I could mention."

"I'm not quite sure what you're implying; why don't you clarify for me?" She snarled.

"Stow it guys, the captain is coming." Someone else whispered.

The commander came stamping down the corridor, scratching lazily at his head and carrying a small stack of papers in hand. The younger officers all rendered a crisp salute.

"Thanks guys, love the enthusiasm." He didn't bother returning the gesture. "You'll be happy to know that I've got actual _work_ for you today, not just the same boring crap. Apparently it's got something to do with the scouts being summoned to the capital." Annie lifted her eyes. "They'll be passing through town today en route to the interior. We're being asked to follow alongside the transport convoy as additional security until they're past the inner gate. We've been authorized to make use of our ODM gear within the city limits. There'll be a barge waiting to take you to the starting point at the edge of town. It's not a difficult job, but the higher ups are insisting on it." _Why are they coming here? Why now, out of nowhere?! No, no, stop that._ _Everything's okay. This has nothing to do with you. No reason to start panicking; it's not like anybody __**knows**__. How could they? You just have to keep calm and go about business as usual. If you start acting weird now, everyone will suspect something. Take a couple of deep breaths and you'll be fine._

"Excuse me sir, may I ask a question?" Marlo spoke up.

"If you feel like you have to."

"What exactly is it that we're supposed to be protecting the convoy from?"

"Huh?"

"It's just that, I've never heard of anyone openly defying the government, especially this far in. Most of the populace is just happy to be safe behind the walls. There are a few petty criminals here and there sure, but I can't imagine any organization that exists being large enough to attempt a strike. What possible motive could such an organization have anyway?"

"Well aren't you mister serious today?" The officer looked at him incredulously. "You can be in charge of this then." He thrust the small stack of papers into the young MP's hand. "Everything you need to know is right here." Marlo looked at them, confused, and the officer turned to leave. "I want you rookies to prove that you can handle this on your own. We officers are busy enough already. Oh, and one more thing; you better not screw this up, got it?" The man entered into a doorway across the hall wherein other MPs could be seen drinking and gambling. He slammed the door behind him.

"Nice going Marlo." Hitch growled as the squad left to retrieve their muskets and ammunition from the armory. It wasn't exactly his fault though. The officers in charge usually delegated tasks to the new recruits anyway. Most days they just sat around drinking, playing cards, or carousing with the prostitutes in the red light district. His Majesty's elite peace keeping force huh? That was about the fattest lie that Annie had been told when she joined up.

The detail of young soldiers assembled out in the courtyard as they prepared to depart for the canal, and the aforementioned barge.

"This sucks." Someone grumbled.

"You got that right. The amount of slacking that goes on in this unit is insane. I mean, it's not like I joined the MPs to work hard or anything, but I might have thought twice about enlisting if I'd known we'd be getting stuck with all the work every single day." Hitch muttered.

"You can say that again."

"Bastards, I can't believe this. They're all stupid, self absorbed imbeciles, every last one." Marlow said to himself.

"Oh yeah, so what does that make you then?" Boris snorted. "You _chose_ to join the Military Police; you're a slacker just like the rest of us."

Marlo turned, his ire raised. "You're wrong Boris. I'm nothing like the rest of you degenerates. The Military Police are in dire need of repair. I joined because I intend to change things around here."

"Pft, and how do you plan on doing that?"

"I'll work my way up through the ranks of course. Once I'm in a position of power, I can make sure that all these lying, cheating ingrates pay for their transgressions. With a bit of harsh discipline, the brigade can become the symbol of law and order it was meant to be." Marlo resolutely clenched his fists, smiling.

Hitch was no longer able to contain her amusement and fell to ground, laughing like an idiot. "Ha-ha-ha, wow Marlo, and I thought you had a stick up your ass before ha-ha-aha! What a freaking buzz kill ha-ha-ha!" Annie watched the spectacle with annoyance, wishing someone would shut the girl up, or at least kick her. Still, her mockery wasn't without merit. Marlo Freudenberg was an ambitious, no nonsense kind of soldier, the kind whose fool hardy ideals of a "better world" made him the target of scorn and ridicule among the ranks of the MP Brigade. Nobody around here was keen on changing anything. The lackadaisical lifestyle they were able to live was thoroughly enjoyed by the rank and file. However, there was familiar, even admirable about his sense of determination.

"Well, all I have to say is 'good luck with that' you'll need it." Boris rolled his eyes.

"Yeah crusader boy, good luck conquering injustice and all that!" Hitch was still cackling.

"You'll see things differently in a few years, just give it some t—"

Annie interrupted him. "I think if someone like you was put in charge of this unit, you'd quickly find yourself working alone." Everyone turned their heads at her sudden interjection.

"So that's the first thing you open your mouth to say is it?" Marlo growled.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt your sincerity. I know conviction when I see it. You're not the first person I've met who thought they could set out and change the world for the better." She thought of the others, of Eren, Armin, Jansen…Josh. "It takes a lot of courage to go against the order of things, to stand against the tide. An impetuous endeavor though it might be, I respect that."

"So this is what she's like when she starts flirting?" Hitch rolled to her knees.

She rolled her eyes. "Not in the slightest. Marlo's nowhere near my type. Besides, I'm already taken." Was she though? She'd broken up with _him_ in Trost, and smashed his heart to pieces in the process. There'd been so much hurt in his eyes.

"Ohhhh heh, so you have a boyfriend after all? Here I thought you were some dark, brooding loner. Why haven't you told me anything about him before?" For the first time she was showing some sort of interest in Annie's life. Probably just so she could dig for something to gossip about.

"It's complicated…" She managed.

"Oh, is there like a love triangle going on or something? Another woman perhaps, or is it another man?! Come on, you have to tell me."

"Hitch, I'm only going to say this one time. You could not even begin to understand what going on in my personal life, so drop it." Annie kept her voice as flat as possible.

"Ugh, you're no fun at all. What kind of girl doesn't share stuff like this with her roommate?" _Maybe the kind of girl whose roommate is a sleazy, arrogant bitch? _

"Alright, alright, enough idle chatter. Let's head down to the dock so we can get started already." Marlo grunted. Hitch mumbled something else about him being a killjoy.

The young soldiers made their way down to the riverfront, where they plodded along in various states of boredom, heading to where the barge was to be located. Though most of them hated having to actually work for their paycheck, they were glad that there was at least something to do this time. On most days, any tasks that were pushed off on them were menial at best. Stohess was, for the most part, a quiet city. That didn't bother Annie at all. She enjoyed things being relaxed, even boring was fine. She rarely had to beat anyone up, the people were friendly, and there were no titans. Despite how little she liked most of her fellow officers, she didn't dislike her job either. When she was here, life was pretty peaceful. It'd be nice if she got to share this quiet, peaceful life with _him_ someday. If they both made it out of this war alive, she'd make sure they spent the rest of their days like that, in peace. It was a pleasant thought, one for which Annie allowed herself to smile privately. Look at her, daydreaming like this. Carelessly thinking about the future and what she was going to do with it. Josh's personality had rubbed off on her a little. Sometimes, that made it seem like he was still right there with her.

"Ouch! Hey bud, don't stop all of sudden. What's the matter with you?" Hitch had run into Marlo's back. She peeked around his shoulder to glimpse what had given him pause. The barge was up ahead. Several large crates, each bearing the insignia of the Military Police, were being loaded onto it. "Isn't that our gear?"

"Yeah, a little weird that the merchant guild is conducting the transport though; I thought command would have just requisitioned the boat for a couple of hours." One of the others said.

"I don't like this." Marlo said quietly, looking closer. There were two MPs standing by as the merchant representative handed them a small cloth bag. One of the officers reached inside, pulling out a coin. He scrutinized it for a moment before smiling and taking hold of the bag. Marlo snarled. "Are those bastards selling government property to line their own pockets?!" He started off towards the two men.

Annie and the rest of the squad watched him intently.

"Check out crusader boy. I can't believe it, but he's the genuine article." Hitch snickered. "And here I thought today was going to be boring."

"Well we've got some time to kill, this should be entertaining." Boris mused.

At first, things went smoothly for the erstwhile young soldier. He stood nervously in front of the senior officers, inquiring of the transaction that had just taken place. After he'd made it through a stammering portion of his speech, one of the men laughed heartily. A fresh faced recruit assuming to tell them about ethical conduct, just the notion itself would have sounded absurd. The officer produced a shining coin from the bag the merchant had given him. He slid it into Marlo's breast pocket.

"Listen kid, I can see you've got a _promising_ future ahead of you. Take this as a token of my gratitude, in regards to your sense of duty and dedication. Go spend it on a girl; she'll help you loosen up." Both of the officers shared a wry smile and turned on heel, leaving Marlo speechless for a moment.

He couldn't believe what had just happened. They were trying to bribe him?! This was appalling, disgusting, sickening. He would not be party to such despicable activities, nor would he turn a blind eye to them. The Military Police were the symbol of law and order in humanity's domain. They could not flout that which they were sworn to uphold.

He took several steps and yanked on the older man's shoulder. "Hey! What you just did was against the law! You think I'll—" He was silenced when the butt of a rifle slammed home under his ribcage. Marlo fell on his knees, spluttering. A second strike came down across his shoulder blades. A third came from the officer's boot. The expressions of mirth previously on their faces had been replaced by scowls. Marlo tried to rise onto his knees, wheezing; the officer kicked him again, harder.

His comrades watched, wincing reflexively as increasingly brutal blows were delivered. The cries of pain echoed off of the surrounding buildings. Annie looked at each of her squad mates, seeing that none of them planned to do anything about it. Their inaction was seriously annoying. If this kept up for much longer, the boy was going to be beaten within an inch of his life. _I've got to do everything around here don't I?_ She pulled her rifle tight over her shoulder and started forward.

The officer delivered another kick into Marlo's gut. His partner laughed. "You're under arrest for a treasonable offense against an officer."

"Blatant disregard for the rule of law—"

"—is standard procedure, and so is this!" He went to bring his rifle down on top of Marlo's skull, but he was stopped halfway. A short blonde girl had taken hold of his arm, keeping it from descending any further.

"He's had enough, don't you think sir?" Annie said in monotone. The officer leered at her and drew his arm away. Hitch came scampering over, smiling anxiously.

"So sorry about that fellas, I hope our idiot didn't cause you too much trouble. We'll make sure to drive the lesson home, don't you worry. That is, unless of course, you'd rather turn this into a…public spectacle." She turned slightly, indicating a crowd of about forty or so people that had formed to her left. They citizens were glaring up at the older officers with disdain. The officer shifted his eyes between them and the recruits.

"…Fine, just this once we'll let you off with a warning. As you were." The two men turned away again.

"Yes sir!" The young soldiers sounded off. Several of them audibly exhaled when the officers left.

Marlo stared after them, his eyes twitched. A righteous fury was burning inside of him, seeking retribution. He noted his musket, which had fallen from his shoulder. That was it. His trembling hand stretched out towards the weapon, fingers brushing against the cold steel of the lock plate. The instrument through which he could play the song of change was right here. He allowed himself a cruel grin.

"Go ahead and do it." Marlo stopped. He shifted his gaze up at Annie. "You're going to make them pay right? All these lying, cheating ingrates need is a little _harsh discipline_; that's what you said. In truth, I'm not entirely opposed to helping you out with that. They tried to put you in your place when they were caught breaking the law. Perhaps it's time that someone put them in theirs." Yes, that was what he wanted. That was what needed to be done. The pigs deserved as much.

His whole body was vibrating with anticipation. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, and he licked the inside of his teeth as his fingers closed around the small of the stock. He could feel the power of the firearm, the exquisitely horrifying power that allowed the implement's user to blast away the life of another human being. Dishonest men were before him, people who undermined the good name of the Military Police, no more than violent thugs. They needed to be put down. They needed to be held accountable for their transgressions. If changes were to be made, this would be a good start. No doubt even the common citizenry wished to see these men made an example of.

But he couldn't do it. He just watched for a number of seconds as the officers became blurs in the distance. Within a few more seconds, they were gone.

In frustration, Marlo slammed his fist into the ground. "Damn it!"

Annie stood there next to him, quietly observing. Everyone else in the squad already seemed to have forgotten what took place. This was evident in the idle chatter they had engaged in. Hitch had even started flirting with a couple of the guys in the crowd.

"Tell me, those friends of yours, the other impetuous ones you mentioned…would they have done it?"

She pondered his question for a moment. "They might have."

Marlo crumbled under the weight of her words. "I wanted to be strong. I wanted to go against the flow, to change things. But, I guess when it comes right down to it I'm just another piece of scum being swept away in the current." He remained on his hands and knees.

"Not quite sure what to say about that. Maybe going with the flow is just another part of what it means to be ordinary. Is that really such a bad thing? To some people, living that way makes you weak, but honestly, an ordinary person is all I want to be." If anyone was unhappy with that kind of life, she'd have gladly traded spots with them in a heartbeat.

It was mid-afternoon when the transport column carrying the scouts' command elements finally rolled through the outer gates of Stohess District. Several dozen MPs stood at attention on either side of the street, awaiting the order to move ahead. The main street had been cleared of all civilian traffic and closed for the procession. The faster they made their way into the interior, the better. Though she didn't show it, Annie was relieved to the point of tears when she saw just how few of the scouts were actually present. The number of carriages indicated that it would only be a few of the senior members and officers. Neither Josh nor the other members of the 104th were likely to be among them. _See, I told you everything would be fine._

"Support detail move up!" One of the section commanders called out. The lines of soldiers trotted off after the convoy. Annie followed her comrades earnestly, finding a new spring in her step. Today was turning out a lot better than she'd expected.

_"__Annie…"_ A whisper came from her right as she passed a darkened alleyway. She halted, waiting to see if it would happen a second time. Surely she'd just imagined it? _"Psst, Annie, over here." _No, not imagining things. She stole a furtive glance over her shoulder. A hooded figure in a long dark cloak disappeared into the passage. There was a flash in her mind of the shadow people from her dream and Annie shuddered. She immediately shook it off. _Don't be ridiculous; that was a dream, they aren't real._ All the same, she kept a tight grip on her rifle as she crept into the alley.

"Hello?" She asked uncertainly as she ventured deeper in. This time of day, the sun never touched these spaces. Everything around her was dark, shadows stacked upon one another. It was difficult to see. It was also quiet, unnervingly so.

"Hi Annie, it's been a while hasn't it?" A voice from behind her said suddenly. Startled, she whipped around, bringing her musket up swiftly. "Whoa whoa, don't shoot, it's me!" The barrel of her gun was shoved into the rather pale face of Armin Arlert. His hands were raised in a gesture of surrender.

"You should know better than to sneak up on me Armin. What are you doing here?" She kept her weapon leveled at him.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to startle you. I came because I, we actually, need a favor."

"Who's we, and what's with the sketchy get up?"

"Oh, the rain cloak? It's something of a disguise. I'm using it to hide my ODM rig. See?" He cautiously pulled the garment open, revealing the equipment.

"That answers one question, but there's still another. Would you be so kind as to elaborate on this _favor_ you'd like my help with?"

"Yeah, no problem. But could you um, put the gun down first?"

"Right…fair enough." She slung the rifle back over her shoulder.

"Thanks."

"Can you please get on with it?"

"…We have a plan to sneak Eren out of the city. I'd, we'd like your help." He still hadn't elaborated on the _we_ part, but she could infer who was likely involved.

"Where are you planning on going? There aren't exactly a lot of places to hide when we're stuck behind the walls. I doubt there's a single place where they wouldn't find you."

"This is only a temporary measure. We just need to find a place to lie low for a while. We have to gather enough evidence to overturn the government council's ruling about Eren. That's all we want. It isn't like we're plotting a mutiny."

She cocked her head. "You're serious? How can you be sure that such evidence even exists, and more importantly what is it? You'd need something pretty big to change the minds of parliament."

Armin fidgeted, his pupils shifting here and there. "I'm sorry, but I can't exactly say."

Annie closed her eyes and sighed. "Sorry Armin, I'm going to have to pass. I promise my lips are sealed though, best of luck to you." She turned to walk back onto the street.

"Annie please, Eren is going to be executed if we don't do something! They're afraid of him, and their fear is overriding their sense of judgment. If they kill him, humanity will lose its' best hope for winning this war. The last thing we want is to put you in this kind of position, but the only way we can get past the Wall Sina checkpoints is with the help of someone in the Military Police. You're the only person here that we can trust!"

She looked back at him. "Be honest, do I really look like **that** good of a person to you?"

"A good person…I don't know. I've never placed much value in labeling people as good or bad. One way or another, it's all a matter of perspective I think. But, if I had to make a decision, there's no doubt in my mind that Josh would say you're good, and he knows you better than any of us." Does he really though? The two of them had been good at keeping secrets from everyone else, but she'd been even better at keeping some from him. In a shocking number of ways, Annie Leonhardt seemed to have built her life on secrets. A few of which she'd rather not have to endure. An interesting side effect was that this had made her adept at noticing when people had something to hide. So what exactly was Armin leaving unsaid, even as he kept talking? "Saying that, if you still choose to ignore my request, I think that would be cruel. We've got everything to lose here and without you, we've already lost. So please I'm begging you, help us out."

Annie considered things for a moment. Everything he was asking of her could be classified as treason. Armin was acting evasive, which set off alarms in her head. Though unlikely, she couldn't ignore the possibility that he knew what was going on. She couldn't be too careful going forward, not after what had happened _out there._ She dipped her hand inside of her breast pocket and pulled a plain, silver ring from its' depths. With her back facing Armin, she slid the accessory onto her pointer finger. Now all that could be done is pray that she was just being paranoid. "Alright, I'll do it as a favor to my old comrades. But, I'm only taking you as far as the city limits then you're on your own. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Thank you Annie. You have no idea how much this means to all of us."

_I have a better grasp of the situation than you'd think._ Why she was going along with this, she couldn't fathom. It was like playing with fire under the circumstances. Though, if she kept a level head and carried on as normal, both parties could part ways amicably and no one would be the wiser. That was her hope anyway.

Several blocks over, the two of them met up with Eren and Mikasa. They both shared Armin's state of dress. Apparently, Jean was situated inside of the transport wagon, acting as a body double. This had given the three of them the opportunity to rendezvous with Annie as the convoy made its' way through town. It had also bought them valuable time to work on getting Eren out and away from the immediate grasp of the authorities. The four young soldiers snuck through back alleys and side streets in an attempt to avoid notice by the MPs arrayed across the city proper. Armin's escape route had led them far away from the main road, and ironically much deeper into the district. Another red flag.

"I've got a question." Annie said after a time. "If I had refused to help you out with this, what would've been your Plan B for getting over the wall?"

"We would have used our ODM gear of course. We'd have barged right through the checkpoints and made our getaway."

"That's idiotic. You'd have gotten yourselves killed in a heartbeat. Why not make your escape before reaching Stohess; you could've done so easily."

"It would have raised too much suspicion if we'd bolted that soon. Besides, we can use the complex layout of the city to squeeze more time out of our decoy. As long as it looks like the convoy is following orders, everyone keeps their guard down.

"I see. That's a very good plan Armin." Though she wasn't looking, she could feel Eren and Mikasa boring holes in the back of her head. They'd been acting strangely since the start, looking back and forth all shifty eyed. Maybe they were looking around for threats, or perhaps it was more like they didn't trust her. She'd be wary in their position to be sure, but they were watching her far too closely. Their behavior wasn't what was bothering her most though. What really unsettled her was that they hadn't seen another living soul in the past ten minutes. The city may have been more locked down with the convoy passing through, but there should still be people wandering around and conducting business. Instead, it was as quiet as a tomb. Her sense of paranoia was feeling more validated by the second, building with each step. She anxiously rubbed her thumb against the silver ring. Someone was watching them.

"How much further?" Annie asked.

"It's not far now. In fact it should be right up—there! This is it." Armin ran forward, stopping at a set of stairs leading down. _Down into a pitch black abyss. _

"We're going down there?" She inquired.

He nodded. "Apparently it's what remains of an underground section of the district they were planning to build some decades ago. If I'm right, going through here will lead us to the vicinity of the outer gate. Once back on street level, we're just about home free."

"You really did your homework Armin, that's amazing." Eren said as he and Mikasa began the descent with their friend. Annie however, stayed firmly rooted at the top of the staircase. It only took a few steps to realize she wasn't planning to follow them. The trio stopped. "What's the matter Annie, are you afraid of the dark or something?" None of them laughed at Eren's joke.

"I'm claustrophobic." Not entirely true, but not a lie either.

"Ha, that's a good one. Now come on, we don't have time to mess around."

"I wouldn't expect someone like **you** to understand something as common as fear. You're next to suicidal. But just like most people, I'm not. Ordinary people are afraid of things. For me, its tight spaces and I'm not a huge fan of the dark either. Sorry if that sounds stupid to you."

"A girl who can flip a fully grown man has nothing to fear from the dark. Quit screwing around and let's get moving."

"I'm not coming down there with you. I'm too afraid. Above ground I'll help, otherwise, this is as far as I go." There was a weighty finality in the words. Stillness followed, escorted by a breeze that tugged at her hair and fatigue jacket earnestly. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin looked up at her. Anticipation swam across their faces, attempting to remain concealed just beneath the surface. Armin and Mikasa were slowly moving their hands. It wasn't obvious, but the motion was just enough to notice from this distance. The steel ring felt cold against Annie's palm as she closed her fist. They knew.

"Quit being stubborn dammit! Just get the hell down here, we're running out of time alright?!" Eren was shaking.

Mikasa rebuked him. "Stop shouting, someone will hear you."

"I'm sure it's fine Mikasa. For whatever reason, this whole place has been deserted…" The feeling of eyes burning into her back had deepened since they'd entered this neighborhood. Dozens of eyes bearing down on her. "I've been trying to ignore the obvious, but I can't anymore. I'm not sure why I came along with you. My gut told me not to, and I disregarded that feeling like a naïve child. I made a choice to gamble on how much you knew, and that was probably the worst decision for all of us. The fact that this is where we've ended up, speaks volumes. The lack of trust in your eyes hurts me, it really does. The way you're all looking at me right now, it's almost like you're looking at a…monster." She looked at her hand. The sun glinted off of the piece of jewelry around her finger. "That's what you see right now isn't it, a monster?"

"It doesn't have to play out like this…" Armin said nervously. Concealed behind his back was a loaded signal pistol. He slowly cocked the hammer.

_"__Oh this is complete and utter bullshit."_ Up on the rooftops, Josh Kassmeyer observed the events unfolding with a supreme level of disgust. He couldn't stand one more moment of this asinine charade. There was no real proof she was guilty of anything, yet the lot of them had already delivered their judgment. He rose to his feet.

_"__Damn it kid sit the hell down, we haven't been given the order!" _Sergeant Terrelle Gerhard whispered angrily from his right. He yanked on Josh's scout cloak.

_"__If you want to keep up this farce sir, go right ahead. You can count me out."_ Josh shoved the veteran off of him and leapt down onto the street. The flagstones clattered under his boots. He strode purposefully toward Annie.

The sound caused her to make a sudden half turn to confront the potential threat. When shadows of the nearby structures peeled back however, she could clearly see his face. It immediately felt like her heart was going to explode. _No…no, no, no, NO, NO! Why is he here?! Why did he have to show up now?! This is way too dangerous of a place for him to be! _There was a hard and determined look on his face. His steps were heavy.

"This crap has gone on long enough." He said, taking hold of her hand in the process. He pulled her in the direction of the staircase. She resisted, keeping her feet firmly planted. Josh pivoted on heel. "Hon, come on we have to go."

"I can't." Her head was down.

"I know you're scared, but it's okay. I'm here with you. I'll hold your hand the whole time; if you'd like, I'll even carry you. Keep your eyes closed and it'll be over before you know it. Sure, it might be a little embarrassing, but nobody here will laugh."

"Josh, I can't."

He smiled sweetly and seized her other hand, placing them both between his own. "Of course you can. You're the strongest, bravest woman I've ever met, but everyone is afraid of something. I'm scared of spiders you know, like deathly terrified of them. Still, I had people by my side that were willing to help me through that fear, so I'm going to face this with you, and we can conquer it." Like usual, his words sounded nearly histrionic, even theatrical. Almost as if he'd rehearsed them. One of the many peculiar and endearing quirks that his personality evoked from time to time, it often made those around him grin. "He just loves using all those _pretty words_," Aline had said of him once. "This man would be a playwright's wet dream."

Annie allowed herself a quiet laugh. "Heh, there you go, carrying on all dramatically like you're on a stage."

"We can talk about my awkward mannerisms later hon. Right now we need to go with Eren and the others."

"I already told you I can't do that. I don't have the stomach for it."

"Annie, don't say that. You can do this, **we **can do this. Once that happens, everyone will stop being nonsensical and calm down. That's all there is to it."

"Going down there won't change anything. I'm too far down the rabbit hole now. Whatever happens next, for better or worse, we've brought it on ourselves."

"Babe, for God's sake stop acting like that!" Mirth disappeared from his tone. "This joke's gone on long enough. It isn't funny anymore! All you have to do is walk down those steps with me to prove to them that their wrong! I know they are and so do you! Where's the point in having them all think otherwise?!"

Eren yelled up at them. "Come on, we're talking about a matter of life and death here! If this is all just some horrible prank we'll understand. Just come down here and we'll talk! We can reason this out like human beings!"

"Enough! I'm not listening to another word of this! There's no point." Mikasa stepped forward and threw off her rain cloak, revealing the maneuvering gear concealed beneath. She took up an offensive stance and locked blades into her handles. "I'm going to carve you to pieces, do you understand me **titan**?!" She growled.

That snapped Josh's last nerve. He adopted a protective posture in front of Annie and brandished his own weapons. "Mikasa, I don't care how good you think you are. If you harm one hair on her head **I'm taking yours off!**" He roared vindictively. "That goes for anyone else who wants to take a crack at it!"

"Josh…" Annie looked at him, more than a little shocked.

"You're going to defend her, after everything she's done, all the people she's killed?!" The dark haired young woman said in an icy voice. Her two companions seemed unable to comprehend what Josh had just threatened them with.

"Open your eyes! You've lost your damn minds, all of you! I know her better than that! She's not the one we're looking for; she wouldn't, she **couldn't** murder anyone!"

"Josh—"

"Stay behind me Annie. I won't let a single one of them lay a hand on you. If there's an opportunity, make a run for it. I'll hold them off."

"Josh, please stop—"

"It doesn't have to come to this if all of you just back off and calm the hell down!"

"JOSHUA ULRICH KASSMEYER, WILL YOU BE QUIET AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE?!" She shouted as loud as she possibly could. Her use of his full name gave him pause. Everything got quiet as he turned to face her directly. She spoke quietly. "You're running into a dark tunnel without a lantern. At the far end, you can see a little pinprick of light, so you head towards it. You don't know what you're going to run into on the way there, or what's waiting for you on the other side. Because you made the choice to head in, that's something you have to accept."

"Annie?"

"I once said that if you went down this road in your life, you might not like what you found at the end of it. I asked if you were prepared to deal with that eventuality, whatever it turned out to be." It took him a moment to realize that she was recalling the conversation they'd had on the morning he'd left for the Scouts. At the time, he hadn't understood any of her cryptic metaphors. He didn't even want to understand what she meant now. The conclusions he was drawing from her intimations were too horrifying to consider. It meant she could also be the culprit in a number of other crimes.

"You're not expecting me to believe… Please tell me that you're not! I can't do that, I just can't!" The night before the selection ceremony, she had come to his room and the two of them had made love for several hours. When he awoke the following morning, she was gone and Alex had come to tell him that someone had slain the two titans that Section Commander Hange was studying. The dots were connecting in ways he didn't want them to. He looked at her, seeking to have the revelations dispelled. "Annie please, wherever you're going with this, tell me it's not where I think you're steering me." He wasn't sure what he wanted her to say. The truth, a lie, or maybe even something in between?

She lifted her eyes up to his and smiled a disparaging smile. Tears had formed in the corners of her beautiful blue eyes. "You know, it's kind of funny. I hate that outfit you're wearing so much, but it really suits you." She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "From the bottom of my heart I wish things had turned out differently. All that stuff you talked about, saving the human race, raising a family, living in peace, it all sounded so nice. Maybe, in another life we could've had that."

"Why are you saying such things now? What good does it do?" He found himself blinking away the makings of saline. His knees were beginning to feel weak.

"Sometimes in life, the duties we're given lead us places that we never wanted to be. They make us do things we never wanted to do. Unfortunately, you don't get to choose the cards you're dealt. You just have to make your choices and hope you can live with them at the end of things, or at least convince yourself there was a purpose behind them." The first tear fell down her right cheek, followed closely by the second down her left.

"Don't talk like that! It's not too late to stop whatever you're planning to do! We can get through this if you just let me help! I had to say goodbye to you once already, I'm not going to do that again!" He replaced his swords in their scabbards and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. "You're not the monster they're saying you are; I know that! We can still go back to the way things used to be! I'll leave the Scouts and transfer to the Garrison, no more dangerous missions or expeditions beyond the wall. I'll be closer to you, we can spend time together. I'll do whatever it takes, anything at all. Just tell me what I need to do!" The tears started falling from his eyes as well.

He always wanted to fix things, to find a way to help. There was a will, a desire to move heaven and earth for the people he cared about that stirred deep within him. She partly attributed that to him spending so much time with Christa. But he often aided others to his own detriment. Case in point, when Christa was almost eaten by a titan, he took a horrendous beating to try and save her. He was lucky it didn't kill him. She didn't even have to consider whether he would go through that or worse for her. The idea was unthinkable to Annie; it wasn't something she'd allow. There was however, one thing that she desperately wanted from him. There was no redemption for what she had wrought, no validity with the audience before her. Something else though might ease her burden. "Honestly, if you want to help me there's only one thing I want. I don't even have the right to ask this, but when all is said and done, I hope you can forgive me, for everything." Annie closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking in a few deep breaths. Then she pulled his face down and kissed him.

It was passionate, intense, and damn near heavenly. The sweet sensation of her lips on his. It was almost like the first time all over again. The shock, the awe, and the feeling of lightning shooting down his spine, it was incredible. In that singular moment, he could feel every emotion flowing into that act. They held on tightly to one another, whether out of reflex or desperation, none can say. Every second that passed by, Josh's heart continued to ache and crumble. Her feelings were similar. A violent tempest of sadness, despair, and agony ravaged both of their souls in the time their lips were joined. It was like they were being ripped apart. Ironically, it was perhaps the best kiss they'd ever shared.

When their lips parted, he clung tightly to her. Teardrops came down from him like rain, staining Annie's tunic. It sounded like he was trying to speak, but nothing coherent came out.

She whispered softly in his ear. "I love you Josh, and I'm sorry."

"Annie d—don't do this…" He managed through his sobbing.

She looked up into his face and wiped some of the rain from his eyes. "You shouldn't cry hon, I prefer it when you smile." That look on her face then and there was the sweetest he'd seen in a long time. Despite the pain, the sorrow, she was smiling for him. "I'm so glad I got to meet you Josh Kassmeyer. The time we spent together was the best. I only wish we could have done it longer. You're the greatest thing I've had in my life for a long time, but I won't let you get yourself killed for my sake. I apologize for this in advance." She gave him another kiss, and with agony barely concealed beneath her smile, she tossed him backwards, as far from her as she could. He saw her raise her hand toward her mouth as she turned towards Mikasa, Eren, and Armin once again. Annie had always been stronger than him, stronger than just about anybody. Josh slid to a stop about seven meters away, and rolled to his knees. There was the piercing echo of an acoustic round being discharged, and a dozen scouts in plain clothes leapt from cover, tackling her. They pinned her arms down and put a cloth gag in her mouth. She struggled against her captors, but they had her held tight in their grips. They soldiers had thankfully acted quickly enough to prevent her transformation. Armin cried out in surprise from down the stairs.

"It's too late!" Mikasa's voice funneled outwards from the dark opening.

Josh stumbled towards the writhing mass of people. "ANNIE!" His voice was drowned out by a large explosion. The shockwave sent Josh flying backwards into a wall. The scouts that had been holding her down were tossed skywards, some of them in pieces. The subsequent concussive blast ripped apart structures, sending wood, stone, and glass through the air like missiles. A piece of the debris, a shard of wood shrapnel penetrated Josh's right shoulder. Something sharp creased his cheek on its' way into the structure behind him, and a glass fragment dug two inches into his left side. A dozen other objects made small lacerations across his body. He slid down the wall, clutching at the most severe of his wounds. Growing crimson blotches stained his uniform and the immense pain caused his vision to blur around the edges. Though, for the moment he was still able to clearly see the scene unfolding before him.

Out of the smoke and haze, he saw a creature rising. A skinless demon, fourteen meters in height, stood at the center of a sea of carnage and desolation. The scouts that had been positioned on the rooftops were already engaging it with gusto. Many of them were falling just as quickly as they had risen. At least seven were slaughtered within the first minute. Forty feet, that's how far away he was. This was the closest Josh had come to the female titan. It horrified him up close, seeing the similarities. It had her hair, her eyes, her slender, muscled figure. It even moved like she did. He wanted more than anything to deny what he was seeing. This was a nightmare, a hallucination, anything at all to explain it away. Even the most rational parts of his brain didn't want to accept what was happening. The woman he loved was standing there, crushing his fellow scouts like grapes in a wine press. The sandstone cobbles were being coated with thick layers of gore and blood rained down along the avenue, mixed with embers and ashes. Several fires had broken out among the ruined buildings.

Why, why was this happening? What unholy events had transpired to bring them to such a climax? Josh couldn't even begin to fathom it. As he sat there in a gathering pool of his own blood, forced to watch the macabre spectacle play out in front of him, the tears started again. He could hear every scream, every agonized death as she effortlessly butchered the other members of his regiment as they made to strike her down. There was no sense, no rhyme or reason to any of it. It was little more than a bloodbath.

At this one moment, as he saw his world coming down around him and he began fading rapidly out of consciousness, only one phrase was able to escape his mouth.

"Please, all of you, for the love of God just stop…"


	23. Amidst the Ruins

She'd seen it all, every last second. Her outlook on things had shifted dramatically between the start and finish. Her opinion had flipped from one of sympathy, to one of white hot hatred. All of them had been deceived. After everything they'd been through, side by side for more than three years, the wool had finally been pulled from over their eyes. They were seeking out an enemy who'd been among them this entire time. Dozens, hundreds of people had died at the hands of the looming abomination. Even one of her most treasured friends had fallen victim to this _creature's_ machinations. Humanity could not, would not suffer the monster's existence another hour; it had to be purged before it could wreak more havoc and misery. The task before her was clear. Now, the only thing on Aline Holde's mind was killing Annie Leonhardt.

Aline actually wasn't supposed to be here. She'd smuggled herself into the area with the assault team. Most of the other young soldiers had been taken to a standby location in the south where they were supposed to await further orders while the command platoon was in the capital. Elise, Albrecht, Erik, Christa, and many of the others had gone, but Josh, Gisele, Jean, and a certain trio had been absent during the formation. Aline knew there was more to this than they were being told, and she wasn't going to sit on her hands while the officers kept playing these games. She hadn't told any of the others what she was doing; she'd just up and vanished, linking up with the assault team just before they entered town. Initially, she'd felt guilty, like maybe she shouldn't have run off. Turns out, sneaking into Stohess was probably the best decision she'd made in months. Despite being her first journey into the interior, things had proven eventful and eye opening.

As the carnage commenced in earnest, Aline drew back her cowl and unsheathed her blades. If luck was on her side, she'd be able to use the chaos to approach unnoticed. This could be over before it truly began. But something was pulling at her, Josh. When the explosion preceding Annie's transformation occurred, she had lost sight of him. He was still on street level at the time, so it was possible, even likely that he was hurt or… No, she wouldn't go there. Such thoughts were poisonous and could easily undo her already shaky composure.

She had to find him, make sure he was alright. That should've been her number one priority. The lives and wellbeing of her friends was tantamount, so why was she feeling torn? Compassion and hatred were two sides of the same coin, a coin that was continuously flipping itself in Aline's head. The bloodlust rising inside of her was difficult to resist. The notion of carving out chunks of Annie's traitorous flesh was more enticing than the finest of wine. On the other hand, her childhood friend was definitely more in need of attention, and the veterans probably all thought he was dead. Their assistance couldn't be counted on with the female titan clobbering scouts left and right anyway.

That wasn't the point though. Checking on Josh should've been her first priority and instinct. The fact that vengeance came to mind before him was shameful, even under the circumstances. She wasn't here for glory or the _good of the human race_, she'd become a scout to fight for and protect her loved ones. If they died, there was no point.

She looked up at the female titan with disgust, clenching her fists around her handles. With a low growl, she put the swords away. "Don't go running off monster, I've got more important things to tend to. But once I'm done, you and I are gonna have one hell of a dance."

Aline started running along the roof in the opposite direction, swearing under her breath. With the shingles splintering under her heavy footfalls, a thought occurred to her. What was she going to do once she found Josh? Aline was practically useless when it came to first aid; and even in the best case scenario, he probably wasn't even in any shape to move around. There was no question that she wouldn't be able to handle this on her own. Why was Christa so many miles away when she needed her? That was just their luck wasn't it? Still, there were a few people in their class who'd come close to her during combat medicine training. If memory served, one of them was around here somewhere; if only Aline knew where she was. For once though, fortune seemed to favor her. The moment the thought came into her head, the perfect candidate for this personal mission happened to present themselves ahead of her.

As she was running by, Aline took hold of a nervous looking girl's recon cloak, yanking her backwards.

"Let's go blondie, I need your help."

"Aline?!" Gisele yelped in surprise. "What are **you** doing **here**?!"

"Not important, save those questions for later."

"Where are you taking me?"

"You were in the top five of our class in first aid right?"

"Well yeah, but—"

"That's all I needed to know." Aline cut her off. "Just follow me; I have a job for you." Aline let go of her cloak. Gisele was about to inquire further, but the other girl had already dropped from the roof. Gisele stole a nervous glance at the female titan before following suit. She was still having trouble understanding what had happened a few moments earlier. Nothing made any sense. In no man's land, Annie had spared her life, not even leaving so much as a scratch on her. Many others hadn't been so lucky, but the question was why. How did she decide who would be spared and who would be killed? What goal could she possibly have that was worth such destruction and chaos? What in the hell did someone have to be going through to end up like this?

Gisele touched down at street level and scanned for Aline amidst the rubble of houses and storefronts. The girl was about ten meters to her left, crouching over a slumped body. Gisele hurried over, not even having to guess at who it was. Her comrade wouldn't have bothered if it was anyone else. She inhaled slowly, taking in the blood-soaked individual sitting in front of them. Josh Kassmeyer wasn't moving.

Gisele swallowed hard. "Is he…you know...?" She asked awkwardly.

"Dead? No, he's still alive, just unconscious. He probably passed out from the pain and shock." Aline motioned for her to come closer. Gisele knelt down, looking over Josh's semi-recumbent form and examining his numerous injuries. It wasn't easy to look at, and she gagged once or twice from the smell, but she had to remain collected and focused if this was going to be done properly. She began mentally cataloging every detail of his visible condition._ Subject bears multiple gashes and small cuts. Serious punctures to the shoulder and abdominal areas, heavy blood loss also noted. Immediate triage is necessary. _"Can you fix him?" Aline asked agitatedly. Fix him? You can't "fix" a human being; it wasn't that simple. Did she think he was a broken toy?

"His wounds are pretty bad; he needs to go to a hospital." She said, not entirely to herself.

"Really, no shit!"

Gisele gave her a reproachful look. "The first aid kits they supply us with don't have anything to deal with shrapnel wounds. The battalion medics or a surgeon would be our best bet."

"Well I don't see any of those in our vicinity, do you?! Can't you do anything for him here, like pulling those chunks of crap out?"

"The most I can do is staunch the bleeding and clean up the cuts. That should keep him stable for a while. The debris in his shoulder and side however, are beyond my capabilities. We have no idea how far in they've penetrated, or if they've pierced anything major. If I removed them right now, it's entirely possible that he'd internally hemorrhage." She rifled through her aid pouch, pulling out some cloth and a roll of gauze.

"Does that mean he's going to die?" She asked quietly.

"No not at all. If we can get him some _actual _medical treatment, he should be just fine. With any luck, that piece of wood will have missed his subclavian artery." It was rather strange to see Gisele Delacroix in this manner. She was normally so shy and so nervous, especially in tense situations, but at this moment she seemed completely in her element. She soaked the cloth in water from her canteen and gingerly dabbed at the lacerations on Josh's face. "If he'd been any closer to the blast though, we'd be seeing an entirely different story." Gisele referred to the unlucky souls that had tackled Annie, most of whom were now painting the ground with their entrails. It was almost hard to believe that those spatters of gore had just recently been living people.

It was sickening. To think that their deaths weren't on some distant battlefield, or beyond the reaches of the walls, but here in the heartland at the hands of a former comrade in arms, it made one's blood boil. It was made worse by the fact that the innocent had been caught in the crossfire, and used as pawns. Aline put her hand on her friend's uninjured shoulder. "Is there anything I can do?" She asked.

"No, not right now, the fewer hands poking around the better. That said it'll take some time for me to get him situated." The other girl said offhandedly as she worked. "All you can do in the meantime is be patient and pray for the best." She wrapped a bandage around a gash on Josh's forearm.

"Then I'll leave you to it." Aline rose to her feet and started walking back in the direction they'd come. She slowly and deliberately drew her blades, savoring the sensation of placing the sharp iron into her hands once more. When rage filled every fiber of her being, weapons were soothing to the touch. It made Aline feel strong, powerful, like not even hell could stop her. These tools would help to hone her skill. She would be as a craftsman of death, basking in the twisted smile of the grim reaper.

Gisele called out to her comrade. "Hold on a second, where are you going?!"

She spoke without turning around or stopping. Her tone was like an ice dagger dipped in poison. "I've got a demon to slay." She wouldn't give anyone else the chance, or the pleasure of ripping the traitorous bitch to pieces. Not even Mikasa would get in her way, no chance in hell. That was a second score that needed settling this day. Before long she would see both women dealt with personally; it was high time someone took them down a peg. Should things get a little bloody between them, then so be it; she'd gladly get some dirt under her nails to put those two in their place. With a malicious grin spreading over her lips, Aline sprinted off towards the sound of battle.

"What's the plan sir?!" Richter Oschatz yelled to Terrelle Gerhard as they whipped through the air around the female titan.

"We need to keep her attention on us as long as possible until we can withdraw and regroup. Until then, the most important thing is keeping her isolated in one area of town." Containment was a task that needed to be accomplished as quickly as possible. The target had to remain isolated in one area and away from the general populace. Considering her abilities and indifference to violence, if she strayed off into the city proper civilian casualties would quickly become extreme. That wasn't even considering the collateral damage that would be wrought; in their sector alone it was already immense. Several blocks worth of homes and businesses had been leveled in only a few moments. The cost to put all of this back together would be astronomical. Well, that was supposing that there would be someone left to rebuild it afterwards.

The situation had deteriorated faster than anticipated, and so far all of their back up measures had failed. Their remaining options weren't looking good either. They'd made the mistake of underestimating her beyond the walls, and they'd done so again in Stohess, at the cost of many lives. Where the hell was Jaeger when they needed him? He and his cohorts had vanished below ground only an instant prior to the female titan's transformation. None of them had been seen since. It wasn't something anyone wanted to consider, but hopefully the damn kid hadn't gotten himself crushed. Should that be the case then they'd really be up a creek. For now though, it behooved them to assume the worst and fall back on Hange's part of the plan. No doubt that woman eagerly awaited her chance to play into this whole scheme. At the very least that should give Eren time to rendezvous with one of the support squads in the catacombs. If that went pear shaped as well, then all bets were off. Erwin would have to do some hardcore improvising to pull anything other than a total loss out of this mess.

Even on a good day, the scouts would've more than had their hands full dealing with a foe like this one. She was fast, agile, and cunning. The latter especially, made her a hundred times deadlier than any other titan. Richter found it remarkable that he and Sergeant Terrelle had managed to last _this_ long when others fell around them like wheat before the scythe.

The young soldier leapt from a balcony just as the enemy's foot kicked the wall behind it in. That was the fourth time he'd narrowly avoided the hammer's blow. The scouts were definitely being put through their paces, and good reflexes were something Richter was grateful for yet again. Still, continuously dodging like this wasn't getting them anywhere. It was nothing more than a stall tactic as they attempted to pull her towards Hange and the machinations she had in order for their esteemed guest. As the body of yet another squad member flew past him, he hoped that they didn't have to keep up this game of cat and mouse for much longer; they were running out of mice. Maybe with this next gambit they'd get lucky and catch her off guard for once.

Richter ducked low as someone's body flew over his head, pulverized by one of their foe's lethal punches. Another scout was crushed in her fist in the following instant. The sound made him cringe.

"I think it's about time to bring this one in, wouldn't you say young Oschatz?" Terrelle manifested next to him. He nodded vigorously. "Alright then, fall back to the Section Commander's position and tell her to be ready. The rest of us will be along shortly." The veteran clapped him on the shoulder and jumped once more into the fray. How crazy did they have to be to rush headlong into the jaws of death like that? No, crazy wasn't the right word for this. Desperate much better fitted the situation. Richter took a deep breath and took off down the avenue, his cables vibrating like seizure ridden snakes. The _boom_ of another structure exploding to his rear made him depress his accelerators even harder.

Several blocks down the avenue, he arrived to find the bespectacled officer sitting anxiously atop a townhouse, surrounded by harpoon cannons and her subordinates. She beamed when Richter came into her field of view. She shoved past those around her and clamped her hands onto the young man's shoulders.

"Is it time dear boy?" She asked with expectation.

"The target will be along any moment ma'am. Sergeant Terrelle asked me to give you the go ahead." He said nervously.

"Ha-ha, splendid news!" Hange Zoe laughed manically. "You heard him everybody, company is coming and I want the house ready! Richter, go find Lieutenant Tanzerin and get into position. You'll want a front row seat for this."

"Yes ma'am!" For once, he was glad to sit on the sidelines; being in the "eccentric" officer's presence often made him feel uncomfortable at best. It was even worse in moments like this, when scientific hunger pushed her that much closer to utter insanity. During such times, he preferred to give her as wide of a berth as physically possible.

When Richter found Blasa, she was anxiously tapping her foot and biting her knuckle. The latter of which had opened a small, oozing wound on her hand. She didn't seem to notice that she was doing either.

"LT are you okay?"

She jerked her head back suddenly, as if she'd been sleeping prior to his arrival. "Huh? Oh…Ricky it's you."

He rolled his eyes. "I really wish you'd call me by my actual name…"

"Yeah yeah don't get your panties in a knot, so what do you want anyway?"

"Well, we're about to get things started. Terrelle should b—"

"It's about damn time!" She had her weapons ready faster than he could blink. "Ohhhhhh, I've been waiting for this all freaking week!" Blasa had the same look in her eyes that Hange did. That glint of madness which swam just beneath the surface. Her bloodlust was definitely up.

"Blasa, are you feeling…"

"I'm fine Ricky. I'm better than fine. I'm feeling downright glorious. Why are you asking?" She glared at him.

He shook his hands. "N—no reason just…checking in."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Someone's all wound up aren't they? Tell you what, after we kick the shit out of this harpy, I'll take you out for a pint and a couple hours of _female company_. That'll help you relax."

"LT, I'm not sure that it's appropriate for an officer to buy courtesans for her subordinates."

"If you're nervous it's alright. I'll make sure to find you a really sweet one. She'll get rid of that virgin anxiety real quick."

Richter's ears reddened. "What makes you think I'm a virgin?!"

"Do you think that you two could save this conversation for a better time? In case you'd forgotten, we're in the middle of something important." One of the scouts behind them said with a harsh whisper.

"Get the stick out of your ass Zsiga and lighten up; you're going to wreck my good mood." Blasa hissed. This was going to be a magnificent day, and there was no way in hell she'd let anyone ruin it for her.

Beneath her feet, she could feel the building shaking. Crumbs of loose mortar tumbled down from chimneys and shingles rattled like chattering teeth. The creature was coming. Her features hardened and her lip curled into a snarl. _Yes, that's it come closer devil. The dark void calls out for you, and I am its' emissary. _So many of her comrades, good men and women all of them, had been massacred at the hands of the female titan. Blasa Tanzerin yearned to even the score. She would slice the traitor to ribbons, one cut for each scout she had put into an early grave. The streets would run red with her blood, just as the fields and streams had darkened with theirs. Erwin had given them direct orders to take her alive, but he hadn't said anything about her being unharmed. In mere moments the Survey Corps would have its' justice. The intervening seconds were passing more like hours, which was aggravating to no end. Why did it have to take so long? She'd been waiting days for this and her choler rose with each instant. _Come on Terrelle hurry up damn it. _ _I've got a demon to carve up._

The rumbling steadily grew louder as the seconds ticked by, five, ten, fifteen, twenty seconds. Yes, just a little bit further you cur. Her body trembled with excitement as she saw the vanguard team fly into view. The female titan followed close behind, stomping into view barely a trice later.

And thus the fly was caught in the spider's web…

Nearly cackling, Hange gave the order, pulling the fuse on her artillery piece in the same breath. "FIRE!" The thunder of dozens of guns erupted into being. A glorious symphony accompanying a fusillade of steel.

The hooks had caused the creature to hold fast, but still she struggled, pulling at the restraints as much as she could manage. However, despite her strength, the extreme tension of the wires won out in the end and pulled the monstrosity to the ground. Now positioned above her, the troops at roof level didn't waste a second before tossing a spiked net blanket on top of her. A little more insurance never hurt, especially considering how their last encounter went.

"Hange, you wily bitch, I love you!" Blasa laughed, rappelling down to the street.

"Ha, and here I was convinced that having _another_ backup plan was nothing short of paranoid. Oh Commander Erwin you genius. Shall we get started then boys and girls?" Hange lowered herself to the titan's level. She pulled out a fresh blade and stepped up to the face of her ensnared prey. "Greetings frauline. Do us all a favor and behave yourself this time will you? Oh and in case you were thinking otherwise, calling your friends to dinner isn't an option."

"We'd hate for you to waste that lovely singing voice." Blasa whispered in the titan's ear. "In fact, knowing Hange we won't waste anything."

"Each part of you has its' own special story to tell." She placed the tip of her blade just in front of the female titan's eye. "I'm going to read you like bull entrails."

"Hold still for us, will you darling?" Blasa lifted her own sword, preparing to stab down into the beast's skull. "You're not getting out of this city you depraved whore, at least not in one piece."

_You're fools, all of you. Don't count yourselves victorious so quickly. Annie's a lot more stubborn than you're giving her credit for. You didn't bring nearly enough to hold her down. _Aline was sprinting towards the gathering. Running this hard was taxing, but she was saving as much of her gas as possible for the coming fight.

As if to prove her point, the female titan's leg kicked out in an arc, smashing the harpoon cannons and a couple of scouts along with them. Within a couple of seconds she was on her feet again and on the move, leaving more destruction in her wake. So much for keeping her pinned down. That was plans A, B, and C out the window. Erwin's meticulous strategizing was amounting to jack today. Not that any of that would matter in the end. Aline would be bringing Annie down one way or another anyway. She didn't mind having to chase her for a little while to do so. It was pointless to try and escape. There was nowhere on this earth that she could go, nowhere she could hide. Aline could chase her to the end of the world if she had to. _If you run from me, you're only going to die tired. _

And so she took to the skies, soaring towards her newest rendezvous with hell. This time however, the Angel of Freedom flew on blackened wings.

It was easy for Aline to gain ground against the female titan. In the maze of streets and buildings she had much greater liberty to maneuver as needed. Even for all of Annie's skills and agility, her size was a huge disadvantage. Aline had honed her city fighting skills plenty in Trost, so she was feeling right at home in this environment. It wouldn't be long now before she was within striking distance. Using one of the city's bell towers, she swung herself low to gain momentum. At the pivot point, her back was mere inches from the ground. Using a burst of fuel as she came up, she repositioned her hooks into the meat of her foe's upper back, reeling herself in at a frightening velocity. She aimed her blow straight for the nape of the neck, yelling like a fury as she drew back her weapons.

The swords connected with the target area, but in the blink of an eye the tissue on the back of her neck became covered in a hard crystalline substance. Aline's blades shattered on impact. They were dumped and replaced by a fresh pair almost as soon as they had broken.

"You really think that parlor trick is going to save you?! There are plenty of other places where I can cut you!" She plunged her weapons through Annie's left shoulder blade, carving down to the bone and slicing outwards down her arm. Unlike on a human being, it wasn't anything approaching a fatal blow. At the most it would momentarily disable her limb, but Aline didn't care. As long as she was inflicting some measure of pain, she could care less if the wounds healed. She'd just cut them open again and again. She moved in circles around the female titan, cables whipping all around as she shot through the air like a bullet. Metal tore through muscle at every opportunity, at every point she could reach. They strikes cut deep, just as the sense of betrayal they all felt festering within them. The sound it made was like a sweet music, the feeling of blood washing over her almost pleasurable. One slice after another, the feelings intensified, stoking a righteous fury deep within her heart. She wouldn't stop, not until she had killed Annie or the opposite came to pass.

"We trained together for three years! We lived like family, bled together like family in Trost! We all trusted you! HE LOVED YOU! This is how you repay all of that kinship and kindness, by sticking a knife in our backs?! Was everything you said and did bullshit?! Was it all some sick little game to you?! Why did you it?! What in the hell could possibly be worth all of _this_?!" She drove her weapons into the female titan's face. Staring deep into the creature's enormous eyes she screamed. "ANSWER ME DAMN YOU!"

As she hung there, seething with uncontrollable rage, spewing forth her barrage of questions, something…strange, something she didn't expect, happened. In the corner of one of those colossal blue eyes, a bead of saline was forming. Aline watched as it grew, eventually breaking free to flow down the titan's cheek. She followed it all the way to the ground. She looked back into her eyes again, confused and angry. "What are you playing at?! Acting like you're sorry **now** isn't going to earn you any sympathy fro—" She stopped midsentence. The sky darkened for a moment, becoming an ugly shade of green. A telltale bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens, connecting to a spot several blocks to the east. Eren…_damn it. _

There was an explosion, followed by a cloud of smoke and a bestial roar. Gisele tried to shield her patient from the concussive blast that rippled outwards. The rush of air battered the already damaged buildings and sent another shower of debris careening in all directions. Gisele closed her eyes, wrapping herself tightly around Josh's unconscious form. If he got injured any worse than he already was, his chances of survival would plummet. The cruel irony was that if she caught a piece of shrapnel protecting him, there'd be no one to stop the bleeding and he'd die anyway. So she hoped and prayed that none of the flying rubble would find them.

After a moment, the shockwave died away and the figure of Eren's titan rose from the ruins of a collapsed bakery. Pieces of crumbling stone and splintered wood cascaded off of his physique; his eyes were aglow with balefire. The creature looked around for a few seconds, easily finding its' target. It let out a steaming breath and howled once again before charging off down the war torn boulevard.

"Wow…" Gisele said, slack-jawed. The fact that human beings possessed this awesome power was still an alien concept. Nobody really understood how it worked or how you got the ability. All they knew was that such individuals could harness incredible strength and potential, and unlike their normal counterparts, they also had human intelligence. She was unsure whether to feel dread, awe, or both.

Underneath her, there came a sudden whimpering sound. She jumped slightly at the noise, startled. A series of groans dribbled out of her charge's mouth and his fingers began twitching. After a handful of seconds, Josh Kassmeyer slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh thank God." Gisele let out a relieved sigh. Though he was likely in immense pain right then, it was still amazing that he'd managed to regain consciousness after so short a time. "Welcome back to the land of the living." She said, half smiling.

Josh raised a trembling hand and grabbed the cuff of her jacket. He tugged on it weakly. "Gisele…what happened; where's Annie?"

Eren's titan was barreling down the street towards them, screeching like a maniac. How typical, right as Aline was starting to get somewhere, someone has to come and get between the two of them. The rest of their conversation would have to wait a while longer it seemed.

She turned her attention back to the female titan. "You better not die because of him. If anyone's going to end you, it's gonna be me. Besides, I've got a lot more I need to say to you before the day is out." Aline grudgingly kicked off from her adversary, retreating a short distance to avoid the fallout of Jaeger's berserk charge. She landed just in time to see Eren grapple with Annie. Going under her defensive stance, he delivered a grueling punch to her abdomen, hurling her backward into a rotund cathedral building. More than half of the structure was leveled upon impact. God help them all if there were people in there. Civilians getting caught in the crossfire were the very last thing the Scouts needed. The MPs would probably start handing out executions like the Wall Cult handed out pamphlets.

Less than a minute in and Eren was already making a greater mess of things. _Idiot, you're not doing the rest of us any favors by demolishing __**more**__ of the district._ Aline Scowled up at him. Her scorn and her presence as well, went largely unnoticed. The boy's focus was squarely on combating his opponent. Anything that got between them would be treated as obstacle. After uttering yet another howl, he rushed her again.

Quickly noticing that the current position was untenable, the female titan clambered to her feet and ran down the nearest avenue in the direction of the wall. Eren was only a few strides behind her. Aline followed the pair as close as she could. As the two titans rounded a corner, Eren demolished part of another large building. The falling masonry flattened a cluster of fleeing citizens. Several more terrified people were trampled as he went by. Was he off his nut or something? They were supposed to be putting a stop to the violence, not doubling up on it. If this is what classified as him being in control of his powers, someone needed to sock him across the jaw.

On the ground, MPs frantically tried to equip their gear rigs in a desperate attempt to help contain the rampaging threat. At least a dozen of them were caught under the giants' feet and became one with the cobblestones. Many of the rest were scattered. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't even supposed to be possible. This was Wall Sina; people were _safe_ here, shielded from the horrors of the titan scourge by those who had dearly sold their lives in Trost and in No Man's Land. Many, if not all members of the Military Police had enlisted on the assumption that they would never have to even see, let alone fight against titans. The interior was a cushy place where they could live out their days in sloth and luxury, enjoying the privilege of their office. Regardless of that fact, these were some of the best trained soldiers humanity had, such was the idea anyway. Now that the time had actually come to put that training to use defending the citizenry, all they could do was run in circles, pissing themselves. Behold the martial prowess of the king's elite! It would've been pretty amusing to watch if there weren't people dying left and right. The city was falling apart, the titans' combat transforming the elegant storefronts and immaculate thoroughfares into a fiery hellscape. You could hardly blame anyone for going to pieces in the face of such devastation.

Chaos, no, pure and utter madness was the only way possible to describe the ravaging of Stohess. It was shocking to think that the damage incurred when hundreds of titans had breached the outer gate of Trost was less than today's. Even the casualty figures here were aiming to surpass those of the siege. That just goes to show how much more terrifying the creatures were when they were equipped with intelligence. Just two of them could level the entire district if they set their minds to it. Based on the ferocity of their melee, that might happen as a matter of course. All the more reason for Aline to finish this before things got any worse. But to do that, she'd have to pry Eren away from her for a few moments. Mikasa would probably throw her two cents in as well.

She shook herself off and exhaled. Now more than ever she was racing against the clock. Aline offered up a silent prayer to whoever was listening. _I don't have a lot of time, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Allow my blades to stay sharp, and my feet to be swift so that I may bring retribution upon my enemies. _

She fired her cables into the nearest building and went after her target with renewed vigor.

They'd failed again. The female titan had thwarted each and every plan they'd put in place, one after another. Now they were stuck trying to catch up.

"We have to put a stop to this…" Richter Oschatz breathed. "If we don't rein those two in, there won't be anything left of the city but rubble and corpses."

"If that's how it turns out, then there's no help for it. We can't exactly step between them and ask for a timeout. Eren might be our ally, but he's not going to back down in the heat of things." Hange grimaced.

"Ma'am, civilians are dying in droves, the ones that aren't bodies are probably injured or on their way to being homeless. I don't even want to think about how long it'll take to rebuild all of this."

"The losses are regrettable, sickening in fact, but we can't risk sacrificing this victory, no matter what it costs us."

Richter clenched his teeth, trying to contain his frustration. How great could the price of triumph be? If all that remained afterwards were ashes, then what was the point? "I know how you're feeling right now Ricky." Blasa placed her hand on his shoulder. "You'll see though, it'll all be worth it once we have this wichser in chains."

"At this moment, we need to stay on them. Split into two teams and get on their flanks; all troops will rendezvous at the northern wall to intercept. Ackerman, Kirstein, and Arlert you're with me. Just don't go getting in the middle of things unless you have to. Enough Scouts have died today." They all nodded in agreement before breaking off to the east and west. Blasa took one half, Hange the other. Both women were equally determined to get this done with. If they weren't able to contain the female titan with this pincher move, they'd be out of plays to make. Losing their last bit of ground would spell the end. Every ounce of credibility would be swept away and there would be court marshals for all of them. Wouldn't be the first time things had come down to the wire for the Survey Corps.

Twenty blocks distant from the advancing platoons, Eren and Annie's fight was unfolding similarly to their previous one. Where the former had determination and brute strength, the latter had skill and relentless desire. The ability to harden parts of her flesh was also proving to be an important factor in the engagement. Each of Eren's strikes were parried and countered. A sweeping kick by Annie's diamond coated shin ripped his leg off below the knee. When he followed the maneuver with a full fisted blow to her face, she retaliated with another swipe, knocking him through the edifice of a government building and severing his arm. The boy managed to hold on however, clamping down on her calve with his teeth. The more she struggled, the harder he bit. Her natural armor began cracking under the pressure from his jaw.

Enraged by his stubbornness, she began pounding her fist into his skull, screaming louder and louder as several successive _whacks_ failed to loosen his grip. Geysers worth of blood flew into the air as the top of his head caved in under the abuse. Bone fragments were stabbing themselves into his frontal lobe before he finally let go and fell to the ground. He was still, columns of steam rising from his wounds. Annie wasted no time in taking her leave. Aline wasted no time taking advantage of the opening either, jumping across the street and slicing across the female titan's lower back, momentarily staggering her.

The girl smirked as she rebounded for another pass. "Now then my sweet, shall we continue where we left off?" Her opponent's eyes hardened. Aline's presence was becoming a major hindrance. If she kept butting in, Annie might have to do something drastic. She managed to block the next few attacks, attempting to swat Aline away each time. Each one of them missed. "Come on, is that the best you can do?! You don't have to hold back, fight me like you freaking mean it! Am I wearing you out, are you tired?! " She crossed between Annie's legs and cut a line all the way up her back. "I can do this all day you know, so why don't you be a good girl and just give up? If you do, I'll be nice and kill you quickly!" She somersaulted over the titan's head and slashed her across the face. "If you want to keep this up though, I'd be more than happy to take my time with you." Annie swung her fist, missing Aline by a handful of inches. She brought her other hand around in the same moment. She briefly caught hold of the other girl's leg before the fingers were unceremoniously lopped off.

Aline landed again, rolling to her feet, already poised for another attack. To her surprise, the female titan was turning the other way. She started running for the wall at full gait. A loud screech told her enough to discern the cause for her adversary's flight. Eren Jaeger's titan went past a second or two later, flames emanating off of his body. Aline took off running, trying to keep pace with the bloodthirsty giant. It figures that even a bludgeoning wouldn't be enough to keep him down for long. The kid had already been unhinged before hand, now he had given himself over completely to his more beastly nature. Though he was missing half of his limbs, whatever was coursing through his veins granted him the strength to fight with greater fury than ever before.

He leapt onto the female titan's back, knocking her face first into the ground. The two of them slid across the ground, churning up the cobblestone and obliterating any structures, or individuals in their path. The stupid bastard kept making things worse every time he intervened. On top of that, he was going to take her prize for himself.

"All troops form a perimeter, but maintain your distance. If the target breaks free again however, you're clear to engage!" Aline looked up just in time to see three dozen scouts sail over her head. More interlopers. Among their number, Mikasa was visible near the forefront. Yet another thorn had appeared to wedge itself into her side. _If you think I'm going to let you interfere this time, you've got another thing coming._

They appeared reluctant to get between the dog and his dinner however, so she could use that to her advantage. She shoved her way through the small group of soldiers, all of whom said some variation of "what the hell are **you** doing here?" That much should have been obvious. She was here doing her damn job and actually killing titans. Everyone else wanted to capture and study her like some lab rat, but the human race as a whole would be safer with Annie Leonhardt pushing up daisies and so would Aline's family. For her, this was all very cut and dry. There would be no study, no trial, no excuses, just death. Her reasons didn't matter anymore.

Aline jumped off of the roof and engaged her gear, aiming to use Eren as an anchor point to get in front of her target. She pulled back on her triggers to begin reeling in as she came around. Eren's had wrapped himself around her and was using his remaining hand to crush Annie's face. She screamed. It was that same unearthly scream that had shaken the very ground during the 57th Recon Mission. The sound caused the air to vibrate, sending out a blast of wind that buffeted against Aline, shaking her around on her cables. That wouldn't be nearly enough to dissuade her; a tornado couldn't have made Aline Holde back down now.

The screaming ceased after about twenty seconds. Aline adjusted her anchors and accelerated; the moment was coming. Annie drove her fist against Eren's jaw and kicked him into a nearby building. Everyone in the vicinity was forced to duck as dozens of loose bricks shot outwards like canister. Just like a few moments earlier, she didn't wait for him to recover. Instead, she turned on heel, hardening her fingers into crystal spikes. She dug the appendages into the base of the wall and climbed. If she made it up and over, they couldn't pursue her. One hundred more feet stood between her and freedom. From below, Eren was able to take hold of her leg, biting into it. Annie shoved him off with her left foot; her right leg went with him to the ground. She ignored the injury and continued her ascent. Scouts were already springing into action to prevent her from reaching the ramparts.

"She can't be allowed to make it up the wall!" Hange yelled.

"I won't give her the chance!" Mikasa went airborne.

"The female titan is mine Ackerman, screw off!" Aline came in from her left. "Go cuddle your shit head boyfriend; you have no right to this."

The ebon-haired girl growled. "Don't get in my way Aline. She's not escaping my wrath this time."

"Don't worry your pretty little head, she's going to get what's coming to her, but you'll be sitting this one out." Aline placed one of her blades back in the scabbard. "The last time we were up close and personal like this, you gave me a lovely little parting gift. I'd like to return the favor." She punched Mikasa square in the side of her face as hard as she could. The girl recoiled from the force of the impact and lost her balance, falling some forty feet before managing to brake. Aline turned just long enough to follow up with a statement. "THAT WAS FOR FREJA AND ALEX!" That was one score settled.

She looked back at Annie and squeezed her gas levers as hard as she could. She flew upwards like a firework. Reaching the top of the wall in seconds, she whipped around and plunged off of the edifice. Swinging down from the left, she cut through each of Annie's fingers in one flourish. The digits on her right hand met the same fate. With nothing to keep her clinging to the wall's surface, she fell. Aline stood on the vertical escarpment looking down. She aimed her fingers at Annie's forehead, like she was holding a pistol. Closing one eye, she jerked the fingers back and made a _p'kew _sound with her lips. She quietly savored the despairing expression on the female titan's face. "Checkmate bitch."

Upon contact with the ground, her body brought a massive crater into being and sent up a cloud of brick dust. Eren's titan was on top of her before anyone could blink. In one move he took her head and forearm clean off. His own remaining arm was shattered in the process, but he kept going. He bent down and, using his mouth, tore away the entire nape of the neck. The human form of Annie Leonhardt was visible inside, still enveloped in muscle tissues. Eren's Jaw opened wide.

"He's…he's going to devour her!" Hange said the revelation out loud.

"Damn it Jaeger, don't you dare!" Blasa shouted.

_Oh hell no. _Aline rappelled down the side of Wall Sina, hollering as she descended. "I swear to God if you eat her, you're head's coming off next! You don't deserve the privilege of ending her! I won't allow it!" She hit the ground running, weapons in attack position. She wouldn't be denied, not when she was so close to victory.

"You're not getting anywhere near him!" Mikasa shoulder checked her, placing herself in front of Eren as she recovered. "Go ahead and try it." She brought her swords up. A fresh bruise marred the side of her face.

Aline sneered, rising to her feet. "You're picking really bad times to piss me off. Do you have some kind of death wish?" She shook the dirt off of her own blades.

"You couldn't take me Aline, not in a thousand years." Mikasa said coldly.

"Maybe you're skills are a little better than mine, but I have one major advantage that you can't match. I can fight you without any regard for my own safety because I'm not afraid to die. As long as I take you down with me, I'll gladly accept the abyss." She licked her lips. "I hope you're ready to bleed Ackerman." Before she was able to make a move, an azure light brighter than the rising sun erupted into being. A gale force wind accompanied the radiant blue glow, nearly knocking the two girls off of their feet. Both phenomena were emanating from the female titan's body.

"What the hell is happening?!" Richter tried to shield his eyes.

"I don't know it looks like they're…merging? Oh my God." Jean was pretty much dead on there. In the midst of the swirling tempest, a crystalline substance, similar to the one that Annie used in battle was starting to encase the female titan and it was creeping up Eren's body as well.

"Somebody get him out of there!" Blasa directed to the troops in her charge. Mikasa, immediately forgot about her confrontation with Aline, much to the latter's annoyance, and sprinted toward Eren. She tripped the girl up, pulling her leg out from under her.

"Don't think you can talk big like that and just walk away from me." Aline stabbed down towards Mikasa's spine, an attack which the girl blocked with expert precision.

"We can kill each other later, right now there are more important things I have to deal with." She grunted.

"Didn't anyone every teach you not to start a fight you couldn't finish?" She lashed out again, narrowly missing Mikasa's head. The dark haired girl ducked under the swing and kicked Aline in the ribs, knocking her back several feet.

"Trust me, I have every intention of finishing this, just not right now." She resumed her dash towards Eren. Her haste however, proved unnecessary.

As if he'd materialized out of thin air, Captain Levi fell from the sky. In a single, swift motion he cleaved the nape away and yanked Eren out. "It's not a good idea to eat our key evidence you idiot." He dropped the young soldier on the ground and jumped clear of the empty monstrosity. The body was already vaporizing by the time his feet touched the ground. "I see you've made a horrendous mess of things haven't you?" He said to Eren's unconscious body, annoyed. Several of the gathered scouts gave a sigh of relief, thanking the officer for his timely intervention.

"Why did _he_ have to show up all of a sudden? I had it taken care of." Blasa grumbled.

"Commander Erwin dispatched us my darling malyatko. He thought we'd be of more use to you here since he's been detained by Nile and the MPs." Sergeant Iryna Shevchenko appeared to her left, also as if out of thin air.

"For God's sake Iryna, I told you not to call me that. It makes me sound like…wait, what do you mean the commander's been detained?"

"Lieutenant Tanzerin, Captain Levi! You'll want to see this!" A subordinate beckoned them over. Several squads of armed Military Police troops began emerging cautiously from the nearby streets.

Aline groaned as she struggled back to her feet. She clutched at her side as a flare of pain shot through her abdomen. Mikasa had nearly cracked her ribs with that last kick. "Augh…damn it that hurts!" She looked around for her rival. Unsurprisingly, she was busy coddling Eren a dozen or so meters away. The two titans were burning away to ashes. The battle was over, and things were settling down. That meant their quarrel would be on hold for a while. _"You may have gotten out of it today Mikasa, but next time you'll have nowhere to run."_ She muttered under her breath.

It was quiet now. It had been for the last few minutes. One moment the din of combat had filled the air, the next, they heard nothing at all. Even the wind was absent. Gisele Delacroix walked uneasily down one of Stohess' former avenues, supporting a semi-conscious Josh Kassmeyer. How long had they been going, twenty minutes, thirty? In that time they hadn't seen another _living _soul. Everywhere she looked there were just ruined buildings and broken bodies. She plodded through puddles of dark liquid, trying to pretend that it wasn't blood. She attempted to ignore the smell and the sight of discarded limbs. She also forced herself not to think that the red smears on the ground had once been people. If she allowed such thoughts to creep into her mind for even a second, she would probably throw up. After everything she'd bore witness to, in Trost and beyond the walls, she still couldn't stomach most of it. Ahead on their right, she saw a bell tower fall in on itself, the peal defiantly tolled once more on its' way down, several tons of clay and mortar silencing it forever. Gisele had read an old book once that had given a name for places like this, cities in which the living had no place or purpose. It was on the tip of her tongue. What was the word, necropolis? Yes, that was it, necropolis; a city of the dead. For all intents and purposes, that is what Stohess had become. Even he was only half there, it was considerably less creepy than being alone.

It hadn't been her idea to traipse around the ruined district. In fact she'd been against moving at all until a medical team showed up, but Josh had been somewhat delirious and quite insistent on finding Annie. Had she refused to do so, he'd have defiantly started off by himself. That would've spelled disaster, especially with him fading in and out like a narcoleptic. Aline was probably going to murder her for allowing him to be up and about. Christa on the other hand was probably going to murder _him. _It wasn't hard to see why he always made her so anxious.

"How…mu…much…f…far…farther?" Josh mumbled.

"I don't know…It's hard to tell with how quiet things have gotten, but we must be getting close by now. Anyway, you shouldn't talk too much, save your strength."

"I'm…fi…fine. Ju…just focussss…on…get…getting…"

"Okay, okay, sorry you're right. I'll just focus on getting us where we're going." She hushed him, finishing the sentence. Hopefully there were one or two medics available when they reached the end of this road. Actually, she'd feel better as long as there were a few living people at the end of it. If they were lucky, there'd be someone who could help get him to a hospital. That needed to happen sooner rather than later.

"Hey…G…G…Gisele?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you…do you think…that…sh…she's okay? An…Annie…I m…mean."

"Yeah…I'm sure she's fine." She didn't have the heart to tell him that Annie was probably dead or close to it. Especially if Aline had made good on her "demon slaying" oath. For Josh's sake, Gisele hoped she was wrong. He probably wouldn't be able to bear anything more today.

The pair of them continued on for a short while longer, navigating the maze of destruction and death. During that time, not once did she hear a single voice or sound, aside from the occasionally settling pile of debris. What if they were the last living people within the city? What if everyone else had died and they were all alone? What if he died before she could find a surgeon? Then she'd be completely by herself. The notion brought frightened tears to her eyes and she tried desperately to think of something else to occupy her thoughts. You can't imagine how relieved she felt when they rounded the next corner to see a few dozen people gathered a short distance away. She was so happy, she could cry, again. Now was not the time to get over emotional about it though, there was still a job to be done. As quickly as possible, she found a place to set her battered comrade down and asked him to stay put for a couple of minutes while she sought help.

Josh was propped up against what remained of a market stand. His vision swam to and fro, sloshing around like he was seeing the world through a beer glass. He was in considerable pain. His head hurt, his shoulder hurt, every single inch of him hurt. Why in the hell was that? What had happened to him, to this city? Where had Gisele gone? These were all questions he felt like he knew the answer to, but the throbbing in his head was making it difficult to think clearly. The continuous sound of metal hammering against an object wasn't helping either. _What's with the freaking racket?_

"Damn it! All the shit we had to go through and this is what we get?!" _Great, now someone is shouting. Hey prick, why don't you shut up?! Some of us don't enjoy listening to your loud ass voice. _"ANNIE! Wake up! It's time to face the music! You owe us!" _Annie? Someone's talking to Annie…She's here? Why can't I hear her voice? Why is someone yelling at her? It's not like she ever did anything to anyone. Right?_

Josh unsteadily rose to his feet and looked for the source of the yelling. There was a group of people gathered in a circle nearby. The voice seemed to be coming from over there. He walked towards it, slowly, battling to stay upright. It wouldn't do any good if he came over stumbling like a drunken merchant, nobody would take him seriously. He hoped he didn't have to fight anyone, in this state, he'd probably lose._ Okay, don't do anything crazy. Just find the douche bag, look him straight in the eye, and tell him what's what. You can do that, no worries. _The group of people was resolving itself into individual figures. With his vision focusing again, he could see the shouting man much more clearly. Josh was happy to note that the guy was about his height. That was one less thing to worry about. He took a couple of deep breaths and placed his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Hey jackass, what's the big…idea? You've got a lot of…nerve yelling and swearing at my girlfriend. If you have a problem, settle it with…me." He had tried to keep his sentences complete, but he hadn't done as well as he'd hoped. The shouting man turned to face him. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Josh?"

…Jean? What're you doing? Why is everyone standing…around…?" His fellow scouts were encircling a large crystalline object, roughly the size of a full bed. Within its' depths lay the slumbering body of Annie Leonhardt. Josh blinked several times, unsure what exactly he was seeing. He looked up from the crystal. The smoldering remains of two titans knelt in the backdrop. He glanced behind him down the broken road he'd walked with Gisele, down block after block of corpses and crumbling buildings. He looked back at Annie. His sense of clarity was returning. "Oh…that's right. Annie is the…female titan."

"The truth really sucks sometimes doesn't it? I'm sorry things turned out this way man."

"Don't be, you have nothing to apologize for. This is my fault. I thought I could stop this, I thought I could protect her. Like maybe if I said or did the right thing, it'd all turn out for the best, look where that got us."

"You're the last person who should be trying to shoulder the blame for this."

"Well somebody has to. I figure it might as well be me. You were all just doing your jobs; I flew off the handle and let my emotions override my common sense. If I'd have kept things under control we might have been able to avoid all this." He ran his hand over the crystal's surface.

"Are you going to be alright?" Armin asked cautiously.

He looked at his comrade with sad, darkened eyes. "I honestly don't know how to answer that. I feel…hollow at the moment, empty. I think I'm supposed to be feeling a lot of different things right now, but I just feel empty, like a part of me that should be there is gone. It's kind of like the sensation of snuffing out a candle in windowless room. There's just nothing after that." A numb feeling had welled up inside of him, like none of it was real, or it had happened to someone else.

Gisele came running over to the cluster of people, panting. "Dang it Josh, I told you to stay put until I came back!" She angrily jabbed her finger at him. "Things will get worse if you keep moving around so much! I got worked up near into a panic over…oh." She cursed herself for not noticing what was next to him. "I'm so sorry, that was out of line. I didn't mean to—"

He held his hand up to stop her. "Forget about it. Can we just go see the medics? I don't think that I'm capable of dealing with all of this right now." The young soldier slowly turned and began trudging towards the edge of the square. The eyes of the other scouts were at his back. Everyone was silent.

"Josh, are you okay?" Gisele asked, stretching out her hand.

"I just want to sleep for a while. I'm tired…so very tired." Exhaustion was seeping into every inch of his body. His limbs and his eyelids grew heavier by the second. It would be nice to lie down, to feel the comforting embrace of slumber. If he kept going for a while longer, he could find that small measure of peace.

"Trooper Kassmeyer, Trooper Joshua Kassmeyer?" A voice inquired from behind him.

"What do you want?" He looked over his shoulder. Two people in MP uniforms, a boy and a girl about his age stood awkwardly with muskets in their hands.

"Several sources tell us that you were…closely involved with Annie Leonhardt, is that true?"

"I used to be. Not sure why that's any of your business though."

The two officers exchanged an anxious glance and nodded to one another. "I'm going to need you to come with us. After you receive some medical treatment, our superiors have a lot of questions that they want to ask you."


	24. The Last Seventy Two Hours

Seventy two hours had passed. The battle against the female titan had left Stohess district in shambles. Scores of homes and businesses had been crushed and civilian deaths had so far climbed to over a thousand. Canvas body bags had lined the sidewalks along the main roads, where sobbing family members attempted to assist law enforcement in identifying as many of the deceased as possible. Commander Erwin had also been called before the high court to answer for the extreme devastation and loss of life incurred during the operation. It was a bitter, gut wrenching loss, made all the more painful by the fact that there was almost nothing to show for it. True the Scout Regiment had managed to capture Annie Leonhardt alive, but she was presently comatose, encased in an impregnable crystal cocoon. They wouldn't be able to get anything out of her in this state. So all they were left with were a thousand questions and no answers, again.

Still, even despite her present condition, she'd managed to give them great insight. They were now aware that the enemy wasn't just beyond the walls, but within them as well. Unfortunately, as soon as one threat had been dealt with, others quickly emerged to replace it. _Within the walls_ had turned out to be a far more literal statement than any members of the Survey Corps were comfortable with.

That day, in her attempt to flee the district, the female titan had scaled the city's defensive wall, causing several sizable chunks of the bastion to crumble away. As the scouts gazed up at the damage, from within the darkness, a skinless face stared back at them.

"Boh vsemohutniy zberehty nas." Sergeant Iryna Shevchenko whispered.

"That's...impossible. Someone please tell me I'm seeing things." Sergeant Terrelle Gerhard was shaking.

Richter swallowed hard. "You know sir, I was kind of hoping you'd be able to tell _me_ that."

"What the actual fuck is going on here? There's a titan INSIDE of the wall?!" Blasa asked indignantly.

"Section Commander, what are your orders?!" Someone inquired of Hange.

"I don't…I'm not sure what…" She said, completely at a loss.

"Cover it up!" The soldiers turned to see a man in cleric's garb running towards them. He stopped just short of Zoe Hange, breathless. "We must not let sunlight touch that titan!" The man said in between gasps of air. For a few seconds, nobody moved, nobody said a word. They just stared at him. A certain fiery officer was the first to react to the man's sudden arrival.

Blasa grabbed him by the collar of his vestments, stuck somewhere between shock and fury. "YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?!"

He batted her hands away. "Save your anger for after the danger has passed woman! The light must not fall on that creature! The destruction wrought here today shall pale in comparison to the hell that would be unleashed should it awaken!"

"I don't take orders from you, old man." She growled.

"Do as he says." Hange said, balling her fists.

Most of the other scouts hesitated, either out of confusion or fear. "Ma'am?"

"Are you looking for a written invitation?! Get to it troopers, **now**!" She shouted. Her subordinates needed no further urging. Well, most of them anyway.

"We're going along with this BS?!" Blasa narrowed her eyes.

"After what we've been through just now, I'm not taking any more chances. However, when that's done, I have a few questions for the clergyman. I think you owe us some answers priest."

The scouts had worked quickly to conceal the slumbering titan, securing a thick canvas tarp and some filler over the damaged section of the wall. It wasn't much, but it would have to do for the time being until they could start actual repairs. Luckily with night approaching, the immediate danger would pass. In the short while they'd been at it, the sun had dropped against the horizon, coloring the sky varying shades of crimson and violet. Hange stared down at their handiwork from the parapet. Another day full of surprises, and there'd been far too many of those recently for her liking. The world as they'd known it was steadily falling like a train of dominoes, revealing truths almost too horrifying to grasp. What sort of hellish nightmare had they stumbled into? That was just one of several dozen questions that she wanted an answer to.

While Hange was lost in thought, behind her Blasa was busy threatening the elderly pastor. "You had better start talking you decrepit bastard; we've done what you asked. If you're having trouble with that I'm sure my fists can help loosen your tongue."

"Hmph, I've taken my fair share of blows in life I can assure you. Your threats do not come anywhere near intimidating me woman."

She clenched her fists and grabbed the front of his robe. "I'm starting to get _real_ tired of your smart mouth geezer."

"That's enough Lieutenant, stand down." Hange turned to her. The younger officer hesitated. "Blasa, **let him go**." She glanced over, defiantly locking eyes with the section commander for several seconds before releasing her grip and stepping away. The pastor scowled, smoothing out the ruffles in his garment.

"You're Father Nickolas am I correct? You're a senior vicar with the Cult of the Walls."

"It sickens my stomach when you heathens refer to our holy organization with such ignorant terms as _cult_, but yes, yes I am."

"Tell me something father, what is a titan doing inside of the wall? While we're on that subject, could you also enlighten me as to why you've been keeping this a secret?" Hange looked at him.

"I would not expect infidels to comprehend the intricacies of our faith, and I do not have time to engage in such discourse with you barbarians. I am a busy man. My church and its' followers are in chaos. Many of our holy structures have also been extensively damaged, no thanks to the lot of you I might add. However, your efforts in concealing this aberration were most timely and helpful. Upon my return, I shall speak with our financial councilors and put in a request for compensation. Now, I must be on my way."

As he turned to depart, Hange took hold of him, leaning the priest out over the edge of Wall Sina. "Do you take me for some kind of fool that can be bought off with a dip into your coffers?!" She said with venom. "Do you even understand why the men and women of the Scout Regiment shed their blood every day?! We do it to take back our freedom, freedom that was stolen from humanity by the titans!" Her outburst had given everyone pause, Father Nickolas especially. "I'm only going to say this once. This isn't me asking for a favor, I am _ordering _you to start talking. If you don't…" She advanced a pace, pushing him back further over the ledge. "…I'll find someone who will."

"You're being absurd! Unhand me this instant you fiend!"

"That's not a very good choice of words in your position preacher man. If I were you I seriously would want to reconsider. That is unless you'd like to become a lovely little meat pancake." Blasa snickered.

"Let me go! Drop me!"

"Wait, what?"

"Let me fall!" The pastor said in a trembling voice.

"You want to die; are you _that_ committed to keeping your secrets from us?"

"Mark me when I say this woman. We do not remain silent out of malice, neither I nor those of my congregation, but there are many things you do not and cannot understand. I do not wish for death, but my life is not precious enough for me to speak. So then do it, kill me if you desire. Greatness awaits those who martyr themselves in the name of the holy saints! I shall go to the divine architect with open arms! Now, RELEASE YOUR HAND!" Father Nickolas screamed, stretching out his arms and closing his eyes.

A fanatic, that's what this man was. His devotion to the creed he served was such that he would forfeit his very existence in its name. He probably wasn't the only member of the church either. The Wall Cult was built upon people like him. There were several hundred more in any one of the cathedrals. Killing him now wouldn't change anything, but it sure as hell would feel good. For a couple of seemingly endless moments, Zoe Hange contemplated doing just that. Nobody would fault her, or report her if she did. She knew at least one of her subordinates would gladly do the same thing. But there'd already been enough senseless bloodshed today, and throwing another body on the pile wouldn't make that any better, even if they deserved it.

She closed her eyes and exhaled, pulling Father Nickolas back from the abyss before tossing him onto the stones at her feet. Hange laughed softly, sitting herself down on the edge of the wall. It slowly rose to a cackle and she gently rocked back and forth. "Heh, heh, ha-ha-ha-ha! Whew! Things got pretty intense there for a moment didn't they?!" Was it frustration that drove her to such behavior, or was it madness? Perhaps she was just reaching the end of her rope.

"Section Commander, are you…alright?" One of the scouts cautiously asked her. Many of the rest looked on with unease. Her occasional fits of mania were a common source of concern within the battalion. After a moment or two, the officer managed to calm herself and regain her composure. She raked her fingers through her bangs and rubbed her eyes. Hange's aide, Moblit placed his hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, waving him away.

Hange spoke to Nickolas once more in a low voice, though she did not face the trembling man. "I'm curious Pastor Nick. Tell me; is the _entire_ wall full of titans?" She waited several seconds, assuming at the very least he would offer up some kind of retort. For the first time since his sudden appearance however, the priest was utterly silent.

The company departed a short time later, leaving only a team of engineers and sentries to secure the site. As the darkness of evening deepened around them, the battle weary members of the Scout Regiment trudged back through the desolate streets. A palpable sense of fear hung over them all like a black cloud.

"So what are we doing about this?" Blasa asked Hange as the company walked.

"Right now, there's nothing we can do. We have no idea how deep this goes or who all is involved."

"That's one hell of a pill to swallow after this shit show."

"The LT is right. A lot of us are sick of being raked over the coals again and again." Terrelle muttered.

"Patience is a virtue moyi druzi. I have faith that soon our day will come; we just have to hold on a while longer. Trust that Hospoda khoroshye has a plan for us. Vin zavzhdy robyt'." Iryna said pensively.

Blasa sighed. "I really wish I shared your optimism, but it's hard to find a silver lining when I'm this pissed off."

"So uh, what exactly do we tell everyone else about all this?" Richter asked the veterans flanking him. "I'm not really sure how we break this kind of news to them."

Hange stopped in her tracks and turned to face the younger soldier. The light from her lantern casting sinister shadows across her features. "Listen to me carefully Richter, and this goes for every man and woman who was up there today." She made a sweeping gesture to include all of her troopers. "There is a deep rooted conspiracy at play here that involves the Wall Cult and probably even members of the royal government." She leaned in close until her face was only a few inches from Richter's. "Unless its' directly to Levi or Erwin, none of us are going to say a damn thing."

The following day…

Unnamed military outpost, southern interior of Wall Rose.

As per the usual, they hadn't been told much. Most of the former members of the 104th Cadet Corps were transported to a remote fortification in the south west along with about two dozen veteran scouts. They'd been given their basic assignments and were told to remain on standby for the time being. Fairly standard military protocol really, go sit somewhere for a few days until the higher ups find something they want you to do. Anyone who'd ever worn the uniform could tell you that was how you spent a good chunk of your career. What was strange however, were the stipulations that had been given regarding their tenure at this garrison. The young soldiers were required to remain in civilian attire at all times. They were not allowed to participate in training exercises, make use of their ODM gear, or stray beyond the gates of the small fort. In contrast, the veteran troops assigned to the billet were fully armed and equipped at all hours of the day, engaging in patrols around the perimeter and standing sentry atop the guard tower.

Where was the logic in that? The outlier districts and the frontline were miles and miles away. It's not like they would be fighting titans out here in the countryside. Even if some sort of trouble was expected, firearms would have been more than enough to deter human or animal aggressors. Neither of those was likely. No one in their right mind would attempt to assail a Scout Regiment compound, and the predatory wildlife kept to the nearby woods ninety nine percent of the time, giving the outpost a wide berth whenever they emerged. So what exactly were the veterans guarding this place against?

That was just one of several things Albrecht Johannes had been obsessing over for the last couple of days. The unknown whereabouts of Josh and Aline had also been deeply troubling him. The most he was able to get out of any of the veterans was that they were on standby at another outpost. He was easy to tell that they were lying to him, but he couldn't figure out why they would do so. What need was there for secrecy regarding the location of his comrades?

Albrecht hadn't seen Josh for several days, and Aline had just up and vanished on the morning that they'd set out for this place. Even Gisele, who had clung to him like a teddy bear since the expedition beyond the walls was gone. The longer they were absent, the more anxious he became. His dreams were haunted by the whispers of a hundred different tragedies that might befall them. If anything were to happen to them while he was sequestered in this place, he'd probably lose what little remained of his sanity. _Wherever you guys are, please stay safe. _He thought to himself as he stared out of his bedroom window. This he had done for many hours out of the day, keeping his eyes focused down the approach road and praying his friends would be among any arriving personnel.

"How long are you planning on sitting in front of that window?" A voice asked of him.

"Until I see them coming up that road or we get out of this rat hole." He said quietly, lifting a glass of lukewarm water to his lips.

"If they haven't shown up by now I doubt they're going to."

"They'll come, I know they will."

"I bet you fifty pieces of silver that they're all dead." Sergeant Tanzerin said in a mocking voice.

"Bad enough that I have to suffer your presence, but you never shut your mouth either. That toxic tongue of yours is finally going to get cut out the moment I get my swords back."

"Must you always say such mean things to me? Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I'm not still human. I understand that we have a kind of a love-hate relationship, but I have feelings you know." She frowned.

"You're nothing but an ugly shadow and a sadist. You feed on pain and fear, like some sort of emotional vampire."

"Oooo, that's a nice analogy; I'll have to write that one down in my journal. You just keep getting more and more creative with those names. Come on, gimme another one, I love this ha-ha! Wait, if I'm a vampire, does that mean I get fangs and a cape?!"

"Yeah! I'll even fashion one of my bedposts into a stake and shove it through your chest!"

"Heh, whatever gets you off _Van Helsing._" She chuckled. "Slay me as many times as you like, I'll just keep coming back anyway."

Albrecht scowled at her. "Yeah, how stupid of me to believe that the dead would stay that way."

"Believe me, this isn't exactly how I imagined spending the afterlife either, but hey, whatcha gonna do?" Sergeant Tanzerin shrugged. "This still beats the hell out of sitting around waiting on judgment day or whatever. That'd be boring as all get out."

"I'm _so glad_ to hear that I'm keeping you entertained."

"Being dead is pretty dull Mr. Johannes. Our little back and forth routine adds color to my days. If I had a bottle of himbeergeist or some absinthe though that'd be even better. Somebody around here has got to have some damn liquor. How about we go find ourselves a drink?"

"Even if I was old enough, you're the last person I'd want to get drunk with."

She threw up her hands. "I don't even know why I bother asking; you never want to do anything fun. All you do is sit around moping and being angsty. Though, I guess it's understandable considering the things that happen because of you. 'Look at me, I'm Albrecht and everyone around me gets hurt or killed because I'm a **_worthless_**_ sack of shit __**coward**__._' Heck, if I was in your shoes I'd be depressed all the time too. So many promising young lives were taken away because you didn't have the strength to do your job, because you're pathetic. You're a failure as a leader and a failure as a friend. Why not just do everyone a favor and slit your throat?"

"SHUT UP!" He roared, hurling an empty water glass at the sergeant's head. The apparition easily dodged the flying object.

"Oh my, have I struck a nerve?" She laughed. Albrecht was shaking like an aspen tree and he was gripping the arm of his chair so tightly that it had cracked under the strain. The sergeant continued to press him. "It must be hard for you, having to accept that I'm right."

"Quit screwing with me sergeant!"

"How long do you plan on brushing me off? Eventually, the time's going to come where you'll have to ante up. What's the point in running from the inevitable, and if you lack the resolve to atone for your sins, what kind of man are you? With all of the innocent blood staining you hands, I don't know how you sleep at night. I wonder how Jansen's mother gets through the days knowing that her little boy died a pointless, agonizing death. Jansen trusted you, they all did, and that's going to land each of them in a pine box. Who am I kidding though, with more than a dozen innocent lives already shattered at your feet, I doubt you'd even notice another two or three." She scoffed.

"ENOUGH!" He rose up out of his chair and started towards her. "You torment me nonstop, day after Goddamn day like I need to be reminded of what I did!" Albrecht scooped up a shard of broken glass. Gripping the chest strap of Sergeant Tanzerin's harness, he shoved her up against the wall. "That guilt is going to follow me all the way to the grave. I could live a hundred lifetimes and I still wouldn't be able to forget. Hell, at this point I don't even want to." He swiftly brought up the piece of glass, ramming it straight into her trachea. "All I want is to kick you back to whatever unholy nightmare you slithered out of."

She rolled her eyes, not even remotely phased by his aggression or the normally fatal wound. "Could you lay off the melodrama once and a while? It gets really annoying. Besides, we've talked about this a hundred times; there are things that need to be seen and you can't kill someone who's already dead. Unless you're pushing up daisies, you're stuck with me."

His grip on her harness strap loosened and he retracted his impromptu knife. "Is that so…?" A grin slowly spread across his lips and he laughed to himself.

"Um, what's up with the creepy smile and the giggling?"

"Heh, you may not be able to die, but I don't believe the same rule applies to me, does it?"

"Whoa, whoa, hang on there a second. Let's not do anything rash."

"Rash? Didn't you _just_ say that I'm a failure, that I should do everyone else a favor and slit my throat? As you said, everyone around me gets hurt or killed because I'm a coward. My friends and comrades would be much better off without me right?"

"Ha-ha…aha…you're funny. You didn't honestly think I meant any of that did you?" She said nervously. "I was—I was just messing with you that's all."

"No, you were right. There's a lot of innocent blood on my hands. You and your troopers all died because of me; I don't deserve to live. I need to answer for my sins and this is the only way I can do right by them." He brought the shard of glass towards his neck.

"Kid, just relax for a second and put that down. You're about to do something really stupid."

"On the contrary, I think this might be the smartest thing I've done since I met you." Albrecht winced as the tip of the jagged crystal pierced the first layer of flesh.

"DON'T YOU FREAKING DARE!" Sergeant Tanzerin yelled in a panic stricken voice.

His smiled broadened. "What's the matter sergeant, are you scared?" The expression on her face was all he needed to confirm that much. Her apparent fear was exquisitely amusing, and had in fact led him to a rather pleasant revelation. "I'm what tethers you to reality aren't I? In order for you to continue existing I have to be alive. That's the crutch isn't it? Without me to latch onto, you'll cease to be. Hmm, I kind of like the sound of that."

"You'd kill yourself just to spite me?! Are you out of your mind?!"

"No, for the first time in weeks, I actually feel completely sane. You've been trying to drive me into the ground ever since Trost, never wasting a single chance to cut me down or increase my suffering. I've done my damndest to make up for what I did, following your direction down to the last detail, and it still isn't good enough for you. Well I'm done being your punching bag Sergeant Tanzerin. See you in hell." He began pushing the glass into his throat.

"NO! I will not allow this! You're not going anywhere until I'm finished with you!" She lunged forward.

_Bomp, Bomp, Bomp._

Before he was able to plunge the makeshift razor any further into his jugular, the sound of knuckles rapping against the door gave him pause. The fatal motion ceased, but the glass remained pressed to his skin. He blinked several times, released a few shaky breaths, and looked around the room. As usual, he was completely alone. The knocking came again, a little louder this time.

"Who is it?" He ventured.

"It's me Alb; do you have a minute?" A familiar female voice said in response.

"…yeah, I'll be right there." He called out, removing the piece of glass from its' resting place near his carotid artery. Albrecht sighed and looked at the shard in his hand for a few seconds before tucking it away inside his bedside drawer. Before reaching for the door, he buttoned his shirt up all the way so that his collar would cover the incision he'd made. The handle depressed under his thumb and he opened the door several inches to peer into the hallway. An anxious looking Elise Nadzieja stood on the other side.

"What do you want Elise?" He asked, aggravated.

"You uh, didn't come down for dinner again so Christa asked me to bring you something to eat." She held up a tray witch supported a bread roll and a bowl of stew.

"Thanks." The two of them stood there silently for several seconds.

"So um, do you want me to leave the tray out here or…?"

"Oh—yeah, right. Come on in." He stood back and pulled the door open wide enough for her to step into the room. "Just set it on the windowsill. I'll get to it in a little while."

"Eat it while it's hot okay? Sasha went to a lot of trouble cooking for all of us and it'd be a shame if you let it go to waste."

"Be sure to tell her thank you for me then." He said offhandedly, holding the door open for Elise's departure. She didn't leave, instead lingering by the window where she'd left his food. Albrecht cocked an eyebrow. "Did you have something else you needed?" He tried not to sound eager to push her out.

"Can you and I talk for a little bit? I won't keep you long I promise." She said softly.

"About what?"

Elise fidgeted awkwardly for a moment, attempting to find the right words to express her sentiment. "Well, it's just that…I'm worried about you."

"Why?" His tone was cold.

"You isolate yourself from the rest of us most of the time. You haven't been eating much. I can hear you pacing back and forth all night long. You also…talk to people that aren't there."

"So you think I'm going crazy is that it?" He asked accusingly.

She waved her hands back and forth. "No, no that's not what I'm saying at all!"

"You don't have to say it. Even if you did, I probably wouldn't argue with you. I know how I must look to everyone else."

Elise rubbed her arm and looked down at her feet. "You were having another argument with_ her_ weren't you?"

"Who do you mean?"

She glared at him. "Alb, don't treat me like that. I'm not some stupid little kid. You know exactly who I'm talking about."

His eyes hardened. "I think you should leave."

"No."

"Leave my room, please. **Now**." He said in a low voice.

"I'm not moving until we talk." Elise said pointedly, balling her fists. "Tell me—tell me who Sergeant Tanzerin is."

He eyed her suspiciously for a brief moment before closing the door. "…how long have you known?"

"Quite a while…"

"Don't beat around the bush; I'm asking you **how long**?"

"I found out about it right after Trost."

"When? What did you see?"

"You'd been wandering off by yourself a lot after Jansen died. Nobody would see you for hours, sometimes the whole day. When you would come back, you'd act like nothing happened. Two days before the selection ceremony, I saw you slip away from the regiment after dinner. So I…well I followed you to a dark alley on the edge of town and waited to see what you were up to. Maybe I figured you were buying narcotics or meeting up with a prostitute, I don't know, but I sat there for three hours as you paced back and forth talking angrily to the shadows on the walls. I heard you speaking to her again at the old regimental headquarters, in that empty room at the end of the east wing. I heard you screaming, like you were being attacked. When the door opened, I couldn't see anyone else in there. You brushed me off when I asked what was going on, giving some lame excuse about you working out. I should've followed my gut then and pressed you about it, before it got any worse. I'm honestly ashamed that I didn't."

"My response would have been the same. It's not your place to bring up matters _that_ personal with me, or to be sticking your nose into my problems like you know what's going on."

"I know that whatever's happening with you has been getting worse for one. I also know that you didn't get that cut on your neck from shaving." The wound had bled right through his collar, turning it very noticeably red. He cursed inwardly for not covering it with something more. "You should let me take a look at that and get it cleaned up."

"Don't touch it, I'm fine." He fumbled around in his campaign pack, pulling out a cloth and pressed it against the seeping slit.

"Alb, were you trying to—"

"What I was doing is none of your damn business." He hissed.

"Come on and talk to me. We're squad mates and I want to help you."

"I didn't ask for your help and I sure as shit don't need it. Besides, it's not like you could understand what I'm suffering through anyway."

She bit her lip. He was being a royal…well she could think of about a thousand adjectives to describe his present demeanor. Were she more like Aline or Ymir, she'd have freely thrown a few of them his way, but that wasn't her style. She'd come here for his sake, not her own. It was vital to keep that clear in her mind. Blowing up now would destroy any chance she had of getting through to him, but backing down from his insult wasn't an option either. If door one and door two were closed, you have to move on to door three. Elise rarely talked with anyone about her past. It held a lot of bad memories that she'd spent several years trying to leave behind. But maybe opening up that can of worms was necessary today. If she shared some of her own pains, perhaps he would be willing to do the same. "I've had my fair share of suffering in life, maybe even a good deal more than my share. You couldn't tell by looking at me, but I've been where you're at."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Albrecht leaned against the wall.

Elise sat down in the chair he had placed by the window and brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. She looked outside at the rolling plains that stretched towards Wall Rose, near the horizon. It wasn't unlike the view from her window as a child, though she'd viewed the bastion from the opposite side then and through a grimy pane of glass.

"I was born up north, in the city of Arneburg. There was a luxurious estate there where my parents were indentured servants, working in exchange for a plot of land in the interior. Just like so many other people, they were striving for something more. By the time I was eight years old, I'd started training as one of the maids. That was the role I had to play in our quest for a better life. Whenever I messed something up, the head maid, or the lady of the house on occasion, brought out the birch rod and whipped me. I endured that kind of treatment almost every day for three years. I still have scars up and down my back from all the lashes I took." She lifted the back of her shirt slightly, revealing numerous marks of varying lengths. "My parents never said anything about it because we would have been thrown out and our efforts would have been for nothing. So I kept on going."

"Well it was worth it in the end right; things still worked out? I mean, you and your parents got to have your own place to call home eventually." He said expectantly.

"Not even close." She turned towards Albrecht. "About eight months before the fall of Wall Maria, there was an epidemic of pneumonia that broke out. Five hundred people got sick and almost two hundred died, including my mom and dad. With them gone, I was the only remaining member of my family still under contract. An eleven year old isn't legally allowed to be a landowner so the lord of the estate nullified the agreement and extended my term of service by ten years as a way to compensate them for my parent's deaths. My treatment actually got far worse after that. The beatings became more violent, I was worked more and fed less. On a dozen separate occasions, I was actually used as a footstool when there weren't enough ottomans for everyone in the room. Every night I went to bed with fresh bruises, only to have them covered by more the next day. I only got hit in places where it wouldn't show because that would have been 'disgusting for the guests to look at'."

Albrecht stood there, astonishment rooting him to the floor. "I…I'm sorry. I don't even know what to say."

"You can think on it a little longer, I'm not done just yet. The _best_ part is coming." She said to him gently. Albrecht tried to refrain from imagining what could possibly be anymore upsetting than what she'd already told him. "After seven more months of increasingly brutal abuse, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted out, out of all of it. When the evening chores were done, I snuck into the barn with a length of rope to hang myself. I remember the feeling of the ligature tightening around my throat, suffocating me. I remember blacking out, thankful that the sweet freedom of death was within my reach. No more beatings, no more cruel masters, just the dark abyss." Elise closed her eyes for a moment, as if reliving the memory. "Then next thing I know, I'm waking up on the ground. I guess at some point between me passing out and dying the rope had snapped. At first I was angry. I felt like I'd been cheated, like I wasn't being allowed to choose even my own death. It felt so unfair to me. Believe it or not, I tried again not ten minutes later. But when I got ready to give it another go, something strange happened. Right before I kicked the bucket out from under my feet, a little voice in the back of my head stopped me. It told me something along the lines of: _You're stronger than this._ _If you give in to hatred and despair now, what was the point of fighting so hard to get as far as you have?_ _Just hang in there a little while longer and it'll all be over. You will be free._ Sure enough, three weeks later the titans stormed Shiganshina and gave me a chance to run for it. During the panic and chaos of the evacuation, I stole some clothes and a horse and rode as fast as I could, as far as I could. I didn't stop until I reached Hermiha. When I turned thirteen, I worked my way down south and joined up with 104th. Three years and some change later, here we are. I haven't seen or heard from the family since." She smiled to herself.

"Why did you tell me that story?" He said quietly.

"Because I know what it's like to be backed into a corner, where it seems like there's only one way out. But you can't think like that. Even when your problems seem insurmountable, you have to keep going. If you get knocked down seven times, then stand up eight. Defy your demons over and over again. The night may be long, but the sun always rises again."

"That's easy to say when you haven't done anything wrong. Resistance is much harder for the guilty."

"Killing yourself doesn't atone for whatever sins you commit in your life. Whether you do it out of depression, regret, anger, or _spite_, doesn't matter. In the end your demons will have conquered you all the same."

"Sergeant Tanzerin is more than a demon, she's a cancer, a parasite. My life is the only weapon I have that can fight her. I don't even know how long that will last."

"Maybe if you stopped trying to fight her alone, that would change. What happened in Trost doesn't have to be solely your burden to bear. Each of us has suffered some great hardship because of this war, but we've made it this far because we lean on one another for support. That's what comrades do, that's what _families_ do."

"That's not something I can ask of anyone, not with this. I don't deserve that after failing to protect them."

"Jansen didn't want you to be blaming yourself for his death, and neither do the others. Heck, I doubt _any_ of us would have made it out of that fight if not for you. There's no question in my mind that Christa and Aline would say the same thing."

"It's not just Jansen's death that haunts me…it's all of them."

Elise got out of the chair and walked over to him. She took him by the hand, cupping both of her own around his. He was a good half foot taller than she was, so she had to tilt her head back in order to look him in the eye. Determination was etched into her expression. "Making peace with the past takes time, a long time. There's a ton of obstacles to overcome and at times it may seem impossible, but you don't have to do it by yourself. Healing will come easier if you let people in, trust me on that."

"Elise, I appreciate what you're trying to do, really, but—" She put her finger against his lips, silencing him.

"You don't have to make a decision right now, but don't go tossing the idea out. At least give it a little thought."

"Okay…" he murmured from behind her digit.

"Promise me alright?"

"Yeah…yeah, I promise."

"Thank you." She lowered her hand, seemingly satisfied. "There's one more thing I want you to know."

"And that would be?"

"If you ever find yourself in a dark place again…" She tapped her neck for emphasis. "…come and find me. I'm always around if you need someone to talk to." Elise then wrapped him in a tight hug, the suddenness of which surprised him. "If you've got the devil whispering in your right ear, I'll be the angel whispering in your left." She held on for a few more seconds before breaking away, following up with another warm smile. The things she'd said and the way she was acting, it was almost like she'd been taking lessons from Christa.

Albrecht rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Thanks…I think…I think I needed that."

"Hey, don't mention it. It's always important to know that someone cares. So, now that that's taken care of, do you think you'd be willing to come downstairs for a while? There's a few of us who've really been missing your company lately." No names were mentioned but her inflection hinted that she was on the list.

He thought about it for a moment. Memories of days long past fluttered back to him. Conversations held around the tables of the mess hall, that night of drinking and laughter when they all graduated. Though they'd never quite get back to the way things had been then, the prospect of gathering with his comrades stirred a warm feeling in him, and he manifested a toothy grin to accompany it. "You know, I think I could use a little bit of that too." Albrecht went over to the window to retrieve his meal tray. He gazed off down the road one more time before turning to leave the room with Elise. _Josh, Aline, I hope you guys are doing alright. Hopefully we're all together again soon._

A couple of moments later, Elise and Albrecht were descending the stairway into the common area. Though it had only been a couple of days, he felt as though he was laying eyes on his comrades for the first time in years. Even if it had been that long, there probably wouldn't have been any change in their behavior. Everyone was just as they usually were. Ymir was busy flirting with Christa, Reiner and Bertolt were focused intently on the chess board positioned between them, Erik, Ctirad, Sasha, and Connie were engaged in a rather spirited game of Doppelkopf, the latter of which bemoaned their consistent losing streak.

He and Elise found themselves seats at the table with their comrades, a couple of whom waved a greeting.

"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence." Ymir said, leaning on Christa from behind.

"It's nice to see you smiling again too." The small blonde girl beamed.

"Yeah, he hasn't done that for a couple of weeks at least. What happened?"

"I think he just needed help getting rid of some anxiety." Elise said happily, glancing over at Albrecht.

"Her timing couldn't have been better honestly." He said in between bites of stew.

Ymir got a mischievous glint in her eye. "Why Ellie Nadzieja you little minx, I had no idea you were so forward. No wonder you were gone so long." Albrecht nearly choked on the piece of potato in his mouth.

"Ymir, that was inappropriate." Christa made a pouty face.

"What, I'm just saying. She said she was going to bring him dinner, I didn't think she'd give him dessert too." She shrugged.

"YMIR!" Elise flushed a bright shade of red.

"Hey Sasha, this is really good; thanks for cooking!" Albrecht said, trying to change the subject.

She leaned back in her seat. "Aw thanks Alb I'm glad you liked it. They don't have a lot of ingredients here, but I manage. If only they had some venison, boar or some chamois. That would be tasty too. By the way, did someone mention dessert?" Just talking about food already had Sasha's mouth watering.

"Hey genius, do you think that we can focus on _the game_; we're getting reamed here!" Connie grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Too late cue ball"—Erik laid his hand on the table—"Read 'em and weep."

"You've got to be kidding me, AGAIN?!"

"Augh damn it, I give up!" Sasha groaned, plopping her head down on the table in resignation. "I'm sorry Connie, I've failed you."

Ctirad pulled the cards back into the deck. "Be thankful that we're not betting on this; Erik and I would already have your whole month's salaries."

"Please don't rub it in. The twenty five losses are bad enough without…" She trailed off.

He snorted. "Was there anymore to that sentence or—"

"Shut up for a second." Sasha pressed her ear against the table top, her tone suddenly serious. Her eyebrows rose for a moment, as if she was confused. "That doesn't make any sense." Sitting up for a moment, she looked around the room.

"Um, what are you doing?" Reiner asked.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"The only thing I can hear is us talking. What can _you_ hear?"

"I don't know…like a rumbling or something?" She put her right ear against the wood again, covering the left one to keep out any excess noise. Several seconds passed by before the sound presented itself again. It was faint, no more than a couple of decibels above utter quiet, but definitely present. A low reverberating sound, like the echoes of a far away thunder storm or an earthquake. Slowly but steadily growing, becoming more distinct. As the moments ticked by, it split apart, forming individual sounds out of the incoherent roar. She could make out heavy, booming noises. It was almost like a group of people were stomping around.

_That was it…_

The ponytailed girl suddenly bolted upright, wearing the expression of a person who'd just awoken from a particularly terrible nightmare. Her skin was covered in goose bumps and each breath seemed to catch in her throat. "Footsteps…"

"What did you say?" Erik asked.

She took hold of her comrade's head and screamed in his face. "FOOTSTEPS! I HEARD MOTHER EFFING FOOTSTEPS! **THEY ARE COMING!**"

Reiner stood up. "Who's coming?"

"For God's sake, are you gonna make me spell it out?!"

Albrecht felt a knot forming in his stomach. "Sasha, think about what you're saying. We're miles away from the front line; that would have to mean that Wall Rose…"

"Alb, please don't finish that sentence." Christa was trembling.

Outside of the bunkhouse, the recruits could hear the clamor of rising voices and panicked shouts. Section Commander Nanaba appeared at the common room window, flinging it open on the nervous young soldiers. She didn't even have to speak to confirm their fear that Sasha had been right.

"All of you, grab your packs and mount up immediately. We have a sizeable horde bearing down on our position from the south. We have to get out of here and warn the nearby villages."

"What about our uniforms and our weapons?" Elise asked.

"There isn't time for you to get kitted up. By then the enemy will be right on top of us. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave it here."

"How in the hell are we supposed to fight without ODM gear; are we planning on throwing rocks?!" Ctirad blurted out.

Nanaba eyed him sternly. "_You_ aren't going to be fighting. As I just stated, our primary objective is to get around to every village and township in the area and issue the evacuation order. Any and all combat shall be handled by those in the veteran contingent. Now get a move on recruits, we're riding out of here in five minutes or the titans are going to be using our bones as toothpicks."

"Yes ma'am!" The former members of the 104th Cadet Corps rendered a salute as Nanaba disappeared out the window. They began frantically scrambling; most of them ran outside to the stable while Erik and Ctirad ran upstairs to grab everyone's knapsacks.

As Albrecht and the others worked feverishly to saddle their mounts, officers barked orders to their subordinates. The veterans too were whipped into a frenzied state as they dragged their horses out. Off to the left, he could see one of them galloping off into the countryside.

Mike Zacharias, one of the regiments most experienced and senior officers, called after him. "RIDE TOUMA; DON'T STOP UNTIL YOU REACH COMMANDER ERWIN!" Their enemy had breached humanity's defenses once again. The very fate of every man, woman, and child likely depended on how quickly this information was relayed. All the members of third company could do is pray that, when the rest of the regiment received the news, it wouldn't be too late to stop the impending bloodbath.

Two Days Later…

Stohess District, eastern side of Wall Sina.

Grunts and shouts echoed through the halls of the barracks. Six to eight hours a day, for the past three days the sounds of intense combat floated from an empty room on the second floor.

Aline Holde was sweating from exertion; her breaths coming out hot and heavy. Her undershirt and shorts were so damp that they clung to her skin like leeches cling to the body of a fish. "Come at me again." She gasped.

"But we've been at this for three solid hours! I'm exhausted." Gisele Delacroix spluttered and coughed. "How the hell are you not dying yet?"

"I'm never going to get strong enough to win if I don't push myself to the limit, so come at me _again_ blondie." She raised her wooden prop swords.

"I think you may have chosen the wrong sparring partner." Gisele wearily assumed her attack stance and charged Aline for the umpteenth time that morning. She swung her weapons in a series of slashing attacks, all of which her companion blocked with apparent ease.

"That's the best you've got, really?!" Aline fumed. "Put more energy behind your strikes and change up your pattern."

"I'm tired, I told you that! We haven't even taken a single break so far; you can't expect me to be in top form if I feel like I'm going to pass out!"

"On the battlefield the enemy won't care how tired you are. If you slow down, or give up you die." She said, expertly parrying several of Gisele's attacks in a row.

The fair haired girl leapt backwards to avoid being hit by an overhead cross strike. "I understand that, but we're not on the battlefield right now. Can we just take like a ten minute break or something? At least let me get a drink of water." Gisele barely managed to bring her sword up in time to block Aline's next lunge. Aline made a swept at Gisele's legs, knocking her flat against the floor. She held the tip of her blade next to the other girl's throat, the tip resting only an inch or two from Gisele's jugular. The weapon remained there for several interminably long seconds.

"Alright, fine." She said grudgingly before withdrawing her weapon. "I guess we can be done for now. The day is still young."

Side by side the two girls walked back towards the bunk room. Using a small towel, Gisele wiped the perspiration from her face and proceeded to take a long swig from her canteen. "Whew, that's quite the workout we've been doing lately." She breathed. "I knew you were a pretty ferocious fighter already, but going up against you is insane. I'd hate to be the person that gets on your bad side. They wouldn't live to regret that mistake for long ha-ha."

_Trust me, they aren't going to. _Aline hadn't exactly given her an explanation as to why she was suddenly so interested in sparring. Not that Gisele would understand or accept her reasons anyway. During the raid, she'd greatly underestimated Mikasa's martial prowess, and that had robbed Aline of the retribution she so desperately sought for Freja and Alex. That was not a mistake she intended to make a second time. So until the opportunity for a rematch presented itself, training was the order of the day. She would become stronger, faster, and more perceptive, surpassing her adversary in every way. The self imposed regimen was grueling, painful, and physically exhausting, but it would all be worth it once Mikasa's blood was pooling around her boots. The thought of wading through her entrails made Aline smile inwardly.

"Hey Aline?" Gisele asked as they reached the living quarters.

"Yeah, what?" She said, annoyed at being distracted from her _pleasant_ daydreams.

"Josh got out of the hospital yesterday morning didn't he? With everything that happened, I'm just wondering if he's doing alright."

Aline stopped mid stride. She'd been avoiding talking about the subject, even thinking about it if possible. "I wouldn't know…I haven't spoken to him." The fight with Annie was something that had proven a regrettable event in the days that followed, despite how vehemently Aline hated the girl for what she'd done. How would she possibly approach the topic? What could she say to a man who's lost the woman he loves, when she had put ever fiber of her being into trying to slaughter her?

The Military Police had interrogated him thoroughly during his time in the hospital ward. Question after question was thrown at him as the officers attempted to extract every last bit of information about Annie. Whenever he declined to answer an inquiry, usually based on the fact that it concerned the more…intimate aspects of their relationship, he was threatened with execution. As far as the royal government was concerned at the time, his loyalties were just as suspect as hers. Twelve hours of grilling cross-examination later however, they hadn't uncovered any evidence implicating him as her accomplice. Of course they hadn't; he probably had even fewer answers than they did. There were so many things he wanted to know, so many questions he wanted to ask and he wasn't planning on sitting around waiting for the government to figure things out. The moment he was released from treatment, he found his way to where the Scouts were holding Annie. He'd remained there, in her company every hour since.

In the damp confines of the vast and dimly lit dungeon cell, Josh Kassmeyer stirred awake. He looked behind him at the massive crystal encasing Annie. No changes in the object had developed during his sleep, though he hadn't actually expected any to manifest. He tapped his knuckles against the glass-like surface, _still just as solid as it was on day one._ She was also still just as beautiful as the first day he met her. _Some things never change._ Josh sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. This marked the second fruitless night he had spent here waiting; talking to what may as well be a corpse.

What was he hoping for? It wasn't going to turn out like some fairy tale where the prince's love manages to raise the maiden from her eternal slumber. Another couple of days sitting down here wasn't likely to change that either. A couple thousand years might not even make a difference as far as he knew. There was no telling when, or even if she would come out of that cocoon. Less than a foot of distance separated the two of them, but he'd never felt farther away from her. When miles were all that stood between them, there was at least the possibility of reunion. _This _on the other hand, was like the punch line to a bad joke. To have lived through Trost, the 57th Expedition, even the raid in Stohess and have what he wanted most yanked away at the last moment was cruel. Similar to the way a fat merchant might dangle food inches beyond the reach of a starving youth.

He wasn't upset with Annie anymore, even considering everything that she'd done; the feelings of anger had long since passed. His depression had also dulled and ebbed away. All that remained was a burning desire to discover whatever was buried beneath this mountain of secrets and lies. Out of the many questions he had, the foremost among them was that he wanted to know what mission was so important and secretive, that she was never able to confide in him. What cause motivated her to commit all of these atrocities? Josh had pondered every possibility he could think of a dozen times over, but no matter how hard he wracked his brain, he came up empty handed. Not even Section Commander Hange or Captain Levi had been able to establish a theory on the matter. There was just so little to go on.

He pressed his palm against the crystal, looking at the sleeping face beyond. How far into the past would he need to go? A year, two years, or before they'd even met? "Why was I left so in the dark? I've lost you again, and I don't even know why." Josh said, only half to himself. More importantly, where did he go from here; how was he going to bring her back? Right now there was no making sense of it, but one way or another he would figure everything out. No matter how long it took him, he had to. Annie deserved at least that much.

Memories of the plans that they'd made together, of the future he'd promised to build with her floated in the back of his mind. A better life, one without all this suffering and death. Maybe his time spent around Christa had turned him into an idealist. Perhaps blind hope was just the only thing keeping him going anymore. Either way though, Josh wasn't anywhere near ready to let go of Annie, or their dream.

There was a saying he'd seen in a book some time ago. _If you love something, you have to be willing to fight for it, tooth and nail. Down to your last breath if that's what it takes. _Such a _poetic_ statement. Fighting was something he had grown accustomed to. It was the nature of the world they'd been born into. This terrifying world where titans held dominion over the dying embers of the human race. Keep in mind though, with a single spark smoldering coals can be rekindled into a raging inferno.

**Titans** were a pestilence, blighting the earth with their presence. The bastards had taken Josh's innocence, his best friend, and the woman he loved. And those were just the top three things they'd done to piss him off. With the Survey Corps, he would see justice and retribution were visited upon the monsters like the wrath of God. Killing a few of them probably wouldn't get him to his goal, but it was a hell of a good place to start. Even if his wounds had yet to heal, once everyone was back together again, he planned to do exactly that.

Josh kissed the glassy shell of Annie's prison. "Hang in there for me sweetheart. I'll be back as soon as I can." He said softly, gazing at her for another moment or two before turning to leave the chamber. He pulled his recon cloak tight around his shoulders, fastening the garment button on his collar. Lantern in hand, he left the dark confines of the hypogean gaol and ascended to the city street above.

Josh inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of the morning air. He was filled with purpose and resolve. It was a new day, with new possibilities coming on the horizon. From here on, things were going to change.

Twenty minutes later, he was passing through the gates of the regiment's temporary district headquarters compound. Nestled right in the middle of the administrative ward, one of the few areas in the city to have suffered somewhat lighter damages during the raid. It was no castle in the countryside, but the more ornate architecture of the interior lent its' own sense of grandeur to the place. At the first opportunity he determined to head to Section Commander Hange's office to ask when they would rendezvous with their comrades to begin the next offensive. The sooner he had an answer, the happier he would be. However, as he was heading towards the barracks, Josh heard shouting not far behind him.

"HEY! YOU THERE, SOLDIER!" A man in an NCO's uniform came galloping through the gates on a gray horse. He pulled back hard on the reins, causing his mount to rear up as it slid to a halt.

"Do you need something sir?" Josh asked after rendering a half-hearted salute.

"Where is Commander Erwin?! I have to speak with him right now!" He inquired, jumping down from his saddle with a manic look in his eyes.

Josh inadvertently stepped backwards, recoiling slightly in the face of the man's maddened expression. "I…don't know sir. My guess is that he's probably at another meeting with the city councilors."

The man grabbed him by the front of his cloak. "Where?! Where are these meetings taking place?!"

"Over at the Civil Protection offices probably,"—Josh indicated a large three story building to his right—"but they don't usually finish until half way through the afternoon. If you have a message to relay, I'm sure Captain Levi is around here somewhere."

"Thanks kid." The man smacked him on the shoulder before running full bore towards the structure.

"Hey! Didn't you hear what I said?! There's a meeting going on, they won't let you just barge in!"

"This can't wait, I have to tell him immediately or else a lot of people are going to die!"

Josh ran after him. "Wait, what are you talking about; what's happening?!" The man ignored him, or otherwise hadn't heard him, pushing onwards through the front door and bounding up the staircase. He chased the NCO down several hallways and up two more flights of stairs, until eventually winding up on the threshold of the council chambers. The man shoved past the MPs flanking the doorway, practically kicking the barrier down as he stormed into the room. Josh was only a few paces behind him.

"How dare you intrude upon these proceedings; who in the hell are you?!" A member of the merchant guild rose from his seat.

"Touma?" Commander Erwin abruptly got to his feet. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be down south guarding the trainees with Nanaba and Mike."

"Sir—I bring—an urgent message from—Section Commander Zacharias! The—ti—the tita—ns—have…" The man named Touma dropped to his knees, gasping for air.

Erwin crouched over his subordinate. "Spit it out soldier, what's happened?" Josh came to a halt in the doorway, similarly winded and struggling to catch his breath. All eyes in the room rested anxiously on the spluttering scout.

He gripped the cuff of the commander's jacket, a mask of utter terror plastered across his features. "The enemy sir"—Touma coughed—"they're inside! THE TITANS HAVE BREACHED WALL ROSE!"

To be continued…

**Author's Note:**

**Hello everyone, Legion117 here. If you're reading this, then that means you've made it all the way to the end of the book! First off, I'd like to take a moment to thank you for following my story all the way to this point. This chapter has been a long time coming, and your patience has been appreciated. What with the holidays, school, and work, I was bogged down for weeks before being able to actually write this final segment. You have my utmost gratitude for sticking with me. That goes for every last one of you.**

**Second, I'd like to follow by saying that I never, in my wildest dreams imagined that my very first fan fiction, and novel for that matter, would be as well received by people as ****_Winds of Promise_**** was. The praise and admiration that I got from some of you guys was downright touching, and once or twice a little embarrassing. It took me a little more than thirteen months to get this whole thing put together and I was amazed when I rounded it out at 373 pages. I couldn't have done it without the encouragement and constructive criticisms that readers brought to the table. At times, that's what gave me the strength to keep working on this.**

**In the year and some change since I keyed the first words of this story, I have grown, not only as a writer, but also as a fan of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin for those of you that prefer the Japanese nomenclature.) I also became very attached to my characters, Kassy and company especially. It got to the point where every time I would watch the show or read the manga, I was actually expecting to see them somewhere. I'm truly sad that they aren't, because I love these crazy guys, and I was so happy when others came to love them just as much and connect with them.**

**Now, as you may have already surmised, this isn't actually the end of ****_Winds of Promise_****. On the contrary, this is nothing more than a stopping point. Working on this as long as I have been, you need to take a break for a while, work on some other projects. Originally I was planning on ending it in the same place that the Anime stopped, but I figured that this was a much better beat to close on. My plan at present is to pick up these characters again after the second season of the Anime airs later this year. That will give me some time to refresh and approach everything again with a fresh perspective and an eager imagination.**

**That said, I'm still planning on giving this story some minor tweaks over the next few months, mainly for grammatical structuring and the like, but also to ensure that everything flows properly and consistently. Thanks to your feedback, I've been able to notice more and more of that as we've gone forward. I won't be making any big changes though, rest assured. The events are still going to play out in the same way, with the same people doing and saying the same things.**

**I would at this time like to mention the next project that I've started. Especially for those of you who don't want to be stuck wondering what's happening to everyone in the interim. It is going to be another SNK fan fiction, but with quite a few twists and surprises in store. It will feature an entirely new, though not entirely unfamiliar cast of original characters and will be completely structured around events of my own making. It won't be a romance like this one was, but I think everyone who enjoyed ****_WoP_**** will find plenty to love about it. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. This new story is called ****_LEGION: The Fall of Wall Angeline. _****I've already got a storyline set up and chapter one is in the works. Keep an eye out for that starting within the next couple of weeks. **

**Finally, I would like to mention a couple of people who I feel like deserve a round of applause for all they did. First, ****_MercedesCarello_****, who was the first named user to come forward and give me some constructive criticism to make this whole show run more smoothly. I want to also thank ****_Kaioo _****for helping me with some SNK universe errors and characters early on. ****_Operator Alpha _****who was so enthralled with my story that I thought he must have been lying to me. I love you for that man. ****_Kyranol1 _****the wonderful nut who read every chapter in one sitting back in July. ****_Orokin Rundas _****with whom I had several engaging, lengthy, and enjoyable conversations during last summer. I mean from the bottom of my heart that you are awesome. ****_A_**** special shout out to one of my favorite fans ****_KillerDarren_****, who was a big help to me over the course of ****_Winds of Promise_****. You really deserve a freaking pat on the back.**

**I also want to thank the guest users from who took the time to read my story. ****_De fend_**** I'm looking at you. And also, every last one of you magnificent people who favorite my story, or followed my profile. **

**Last, but not even close to least I want to give a big, heartfelt thank you to one of my readers ****_Stalker_****, who was the first person to ever call me Senpai. I think I about fainted when I read your review of chapter 23. That's the honest truth. And in case you couldn't tell by now, yes dear friend, I most certainly have noticed you.**

**I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts on the way this last chapter went, and if I can improve upon anything before I wrap it up. Other than that, thanks again everyone for making this one of the happiest years of my life so far, and you don't know how much your kind words meant to me. I can't wait to continue this project down the line and see where the road takes the boys and girls of the 104****th****.**

**Until next time, this is ****_Legion117_****, keep your blades sharp and your tanks filled. WIR SIND DIE JAGER!**


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